


Rivals, Love, and Tag

by HappyMeO



Series: Rival's and love [1]
Category: Tekken (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:00:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21669370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyMeO/pseuds/HappyMeO
Summary: Jin/Hwoarang pairing. A new Tag Tournament has started, and the two rivals are forced to be partners. Set after the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4.(original Publish date: 9-12-2008)
Relationships: Hwoarang & Lee Chaolan | Violet, Hwoarang & Ling Xiaoyu, Hwoarang & Steve Fox, Hwoarang/Kazama Jin, Jin & Steve Fox, Kazama Jin & Lee Chaolan | Violet, Kazama Jin & Ling Xiaoyu
Series: Rival's and love [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1562179
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. My partner is who?

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The Tekken characters belong to Namco. I do not make money out of this.  
> (Orginal notes}  
> Notes: Hwoarang will be using Baek's last name, but only until he reveals his birth name. His real canon name is not known yet, but I'll use the same name for Hwoarang in all my stories. -nods-
> 
> Also, in this story, things will be a little different time-wise. I know that in the real game, Tournament 4 and 5 were only a two months a part, but I'm going to change that. ThisTag Tournament takes place a year after the fourth. I'm also thinking of a sequel to this story, which will be announced when the last chapter comes out. Until then, enjoy!
> 
> I want to Thank Salysha! She helped me so much with this story! So thank you So much Salysha for Everything!
> 
> (2019 notes}   
> This is my baby. This story was the first story I written and completed. It's the story I go to when I am deep in writer's block. I also wan't everyone to note that this story/series was written before tekken tag 2 came out in a game. Or before it was even announced. Also it might have came out before tekken six even? I can't remember so, if anything is wrong it's because of that. I don't want to change anything so I can keep with the original ideal I have had from the beginning. But also because I've been working on this series for 11 years lol. (and I have yet to play 7 sadly)

Chapter One.

_My partner is who?_

"What! What do you mean 'another tag tournament?'" Hwoarang asked angrily of his master Baek.

"Calm down, Hwoarang. It will be fine. I still will be able to train you until you have to leave to be with your partner," the Tae Kwon Do master said calmly to his angered student.

The young Korean, however, did not like this news. With great frustration, Hwoarang turned away from his master, placing both hands to his hips and sighing heavily. "So, what you're saying is that I don't get to train with you this year, and we're not partners, either?! Why the hell not? Don't we get to choose?"

"Take a deep breath and calm down, Hwoarang," Baek started as he watched the young Korean turn to face him again. "Now, I know you don't like it, but it's a random pick with little discussion from the judges and Heihachi. Heihachi started to organize the tournament since the end of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4. It seems to me, since the first tag tournament went so well, that he wanted to try it again but with different partners, and permanent ones, at that. The first tournament was just practice to see how people liked it. Now, if everything goes well with their new idea, they will continue the tag tournament but at rare and random times. It will be more practice for the fighters."

Hearing his master's words, Hwoarang cursed under his breath and took a deep sigh. "All right, fine, but when do we find out who our so-called 'partners' are?" he asked in a calmer tone, but the tension could still be heard in his voice.

"In two weeks. We will be receiving a letter about the tournament and who our partners will be. Also, when to meet up with them, so we can start our training."

Hwoarang nodded and sighed once again as he listened to his master's words. Feeling the frustration disappear, Hwoarang spoke, "Whatever…. Fuck…. Well, either way, I hope I don't get stuck with someone stupid or with him… Kazama." The Blood Talon cursed at the thought and stormed back into the dojang with his master right behind him.

Two Weeks Later:

The young Korean, Hwoarang, was pacing back and forth as he waited for his master to return with the mail. Today was the day the Blood Talon would finally find out who his mysterious partner for the new tag tournament would be. In the first Tag Tournament, Hwoarang had fought side by side with his master Baek before Baek had disappeared. Later, Hwoarang had learned that Baek was only badly injured and in the navy, while Hwoarang was in the Korean military. Hwoarang didn't find out or hear from his master until after the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4, which had taken place a year and a half ago.

The Blood Talon was grateful that his master was well and on his feet again. Hwoarang was excited to be once again his student, even if their time together was cut short due to the new Tag Tournament. Now, Hwoarang was being forced to train with someone else, which he was not happy about. Mostly, the Blood Talon was disappointedthat in this tournament, he would not be able fight his rival, Jin Kazama.

The Blood Talon was determined to find another way to fight the Japanese fighter or wait until the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5.

"Fuck that," Hwoarang cursed at the very thought of waiting another year to fight his rival.

In the last tournament, Hwoarang hadn't gotten to fight Jin. Instead, the Blood Talon had gone looking for the Japanese fighter and had forced him into a brawl. The Blood Talon had nearly beaten young Kazama in the fight until there had been a minor , before they had parted, Hwoarang had promised Jin they would face each other in the next tournament, which Jin had happily agreed to.

"Damn!" Hwoarang shouted as he continued to pace back and forth, waiting for Baek to return. The Blood Talon was getting ready to lose his patience waiting there and he was ready to hit something.

Then, to his relief, the door to the dojang opened, and Hwoarang ran to his master, nearly knocking over the older man, as he entered the hallway.

"Well?" the Blood Talon demanded, wanting his letter to see who he would be working with.

"Here," Baek said as he handed the Blood Talon the white envelope sealed with the Mishima Estate Temple mark. Hwoarang's eyes brightened as saw the letter. He snatched it out of his master's hands and ripped it open. He then read it out loud.

"Dear Mr. Doo San Hwoarang,

As you may know, this year's tournament is another Tag Team Tournament. We would like you to know that this tournament is to determine how your skills work with those of another fighter.

We had chosen a suitable partner for you in this tournament. We would like you to know that your partner is Kazama Jin, the grandson of Heihachi Mishima.

We would like to thank you for your time. Until further notice, you and your partner may use the Mishima Estate Temple for training. You will receive a letter in the mail, telling of the beginning of the tournament and its whereabouts.

You may join your partner in one week to start training.

Please enjoy the rest of your summer.

Heihachi Mishima"

Hwoarang read the letter twice, not believing his eyes. He couldn't believe they thought Kazama Jin would be a suitable partner for him in this tournament. "Son of a bitch! I can't fight him even if I wanted to! Last tournament, the military stopped our fight, on the third we tied, and then he disappeared, and in our first street fight together, we also tied. Son of a bitch!" the Blood Talon cursed, crumbling up the letter into his hand. "I just can't fight this asshole…."

"Calm down, Hwoarang. It will be fine," Baek said with a smile on his face as he began to read his letter.

"Oh, yeah? Well, who do you have?" Hwoarang asked, throwing his letter into the trash.

"Lei Wulong," Baek answered and walked past Hwoarang into the main room.

"Ha! You got the pig!" Hwoarang laughed as he followed his master and sat down Indian-style on the floor.

Lei and Hwoarang had often been at odds. Hwoarang, a street thug and a fighter when away from his master, had been the target of Lei's attempts to arrest him. When the Korean was in his homeland, a friend of Lei's had had the same job. Neither officer had yet been successful.

The Mishima Temple:

Jin Kazamawas alone in his room, lying on his bed. He had just returned from a long day of training. The young Kazama had returned to his father's temple, along with his step-uncle Lee Chaolan. The two had gotten away from Kazuya, but they had been found by Heihachi. What had really surprised Jin was that his grandfather had stopped, or seemed to have stopped, gathering the Devil Gene from him and his father. Even so, as long as Lee was there with him, Jin knew he didn't have too much to worry about, as his ojiisan would be too busy with Lee to worry about him.

Jin know rested comfortably on the bed, tired and sore from his intense training earlier. He had sparred with both his uncle and grandfather, only to lose to Heihachi out of tiredness.

Jin's attention was then caught by a soft tap on his door. Groaning from slight pain in his back, Jin sat up and walked over to his bedroom door to discover Lee waiting outside. "Yes?" Jin asked calmly.

"Here is your letter, kid. You know, the one telling you who your partner is. Don't know why the old fag didn't tell us himself," Lee said as he handed Jin his letter, folding his arms over his chest.

"To be official," Jin answered as he, too, opened his letter. He read it over once.

"Well, who do you have?" Lee asked, hoping it was him, so he didn't have to bother to read his own letter.

"Hwoarang-san," Jin answered as he folded his letter back up and tucked it into the envelope.

"The Korean street fighter? The one you are rivals with?"

Jin simply nodded to his uncle's question.

"My, he isn't going to be happy about this. Now, let's see who my partner is…. Steve Fox?" Lee raised a brow as he read his letter over and shook his head. "I have a weirdo, and you have a hothead. Great," Lee said with a smile and a laugh before walking away from Jin's door with a simple wave.

Jin returned to his room and kicked the door shut behind him. He moved back to his bed and lay down with a heavy sigh. "Looks like we lost another chance, Hwoarang. I never did believe there was a reason to fight in the first place." Jin turned onto his side, hoping to fall asleep. He thought he better get some good rest now, knowing he was going to have to deal with the hot-tempered Blood Talon in one week's time.


	2. Directions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I am re-reading this for the first time in a good while. (More than a year now) and I can remember how much fun young me had writing this fic. I started to write this right after a nasty breakup and it gave me real happiness. I got to leave reality writing this fic. Forget the heartache. I also met a good friend and my tekken proofreader writing this. It might have been a bad a year, but this, this was joy.

**Disclaimer: I do not own most of the characters in this story.**

* * *

Chapter Two.

_Directions_

It was the last day Hwoarang was staying with his master Baek. In the following morning, he would be taking his bike and things to join Jin at his place. The only problem was, Hwoarang had no idea how to get to the temple, nor had he any idea where it was. The Korean was good with the downtown of Tokyo and all the bars in town, but he wasn't good with the uptown streets or the deep woods he knew lay near the temple.

"Master…?" Hwoarang said in a calm voice as he knocked on his master's bedroom door. "Master Baek, are you there?" the Blood Talon asked again, losing some of his patience. Hwoarang nearly sent a drop kick to the person behind him as he felt a hand on his shoulder, only to stop himself when he realized who it was.

"Hwoarang, did you need something?" Baek asked in a calm tone of voice and a smile on his face.

"Uh, yeah…. Yes, I do. You wouldn't happen to know where, umm, Jin's grandfather's temple is, would you?" the Blood Talon asked, placing his fist to his hips, a rather annoyed look to his face. He wasn't annoyed at his master, but more at himself for not asking this in the beginning of the week.

Baek frowned at Hwoarang; he had told the young Korean time and time again that he should seek Jin out so that when the time came to meet up his rival, he would know where the place was or even go with the Japanese back to his home. Baek knew better, though. He knew Hwoarang was too stubborn to even think of going with Jin to the temple. "No, Hwoarang, I do not know. I told you last week I had no idea. Go to Jin's school, Tokyo University, and ask him yourself. He will give you the directions, I am sure," Baek said and walked past the Blood Talon into his room.

Hwoarang sighed heavily, knowing he would have no choice but to go to Kazama's school and see the Japanese fighter. With a quick motion, he grabbed the keys to his bike and left the dojang.

Tokyo University:

Jin sat comfortably under a tree at school, reading one of his textbooks, studying for a test he would be having in his next class once the lunch break was over. His concentration was cut short, however, as a loud motorcycle could be heard coming through the school gate. Jin noticed how several other students also took notice of the loud sound, and about a dozen girls lined up at the front gate. Each and every one of the girls were giggling and whispering to one another. Jin sighed heavily as he went back to his reading, not caring who was making the noise. The Japanese figured it was probably some hotshot trying to get a date from one of the girls. However, his concentration was quickly taken away from him once again. The giggling of the girls started to get louder along with a few squeals. Jin continued to ignore them, trying to concentrate until a shadow of a figure came over him.

The next thing the Japanese knew, the book was taken away from his grasp. He blinked couple of times before staring up at the man before him. The man's face was covered by his book. Jin, however, did not worry, as he knew well who it was just by the long legs in jeans, with belt straps sticking out at each side, and by the black and orange leather tank top. It was his Korean rival, Hwoarang. _He came for a fight, no doubt, Jin thought._

"American culture and lifestyle, Kazama? Nerd," the Blood Talon said before tossing the book in Jin's lap and bending his knees so he was face to face with the young Kazama.

"So, what is it that you want? To let you know, I will not fight you here," Jin said calmly, but he hoped the Korean didn't want to fight him right now. Kazama knew he would get into trouble and possibly be kicked out of school if he fought Hwoarang.

Hwoarang merely smirked as he stared straight into his rival's chocolate brown eyes. "That wasn't even on my mind, Kazama, even if it does sound like fun. No, I'm here to get the directions to your place, so I can get there tomorrow." Hwoarang took a cigarette out from behind his ear and stood up. He removed a lighter from his back pocket and lit the white cylinder, taking in a deep puff.

Jin watched Hwoarang for a moment before nodding his head and taking out a notebook and a pen. "I will write it down for you," Jin said, but before starting, he continued, "You should also not smoke that here. You can get into trouble. They have strict rules here…."

Hwoarang took in a deep drag, a smirk on his lips, as he held the cigarette between two fingers. His crimson brown eyes met Jin's chocolate brown ones once again. "Me, get into trouble? I don't think so," he said with a snicker before his eyes started to wander around the schoolyard. The Korean's crimson-huedorbs then landed on a pair of twin boys, who seemed to be glaring at him. Hwoarang returned the glare and spoke out, "You want a fight?" The twins merely smirked and walked back to the school building while writing something down. Hwoarang shook his head and smiled. "That's what I thought…. Nerds," he said as he leaned against a tree, waiting for Jin to finish writing down the directions to the temple.

As Jin finished, he stared up at the Blood Talon, watching him make some sort of a flirtatious gesture at some of the girls. He even noticed how some of the guys were watching them as well. Probably wondering what is going on, Jin thought, staring into the Japanese then noticed that the Blood Talon was looking back down at him, an annoyed look in his eyes. A blush formed on Jin's cheeks, and quickly he got up on his feet, his books in hand, and handed Hwoarang the sheet of paper. "Here."

Before taking the paper off Jin, Hwoarang took another drag of his cigarette and tossed it to the ground, stepping on it. He then took the paper in his hands and read it over once. "Nice handwriting …," he said as he folded up the paper and placed it safely into his back pocket. "All right, Kazama, I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks," he said with a wave of his hand and headed for the main gate.

Jin watched as the Korean stopped by several girls, winking at them as he passed by. All the girls giggled and squealed as they watched him leave. Some were saying how cute he was, as Hwoarang climbed over the fence and onto his bike and then disappeared. Jin watched the Blood Talon leave before gathering the rest of his things and heading back inside before the bell rang.

Later That Night:

Hwoarang was back at his master Baek's. He was sitting in the living room on the couch, reading over and memorizing the directions Jin had given him. "Hwoarang, are you still up?" Master Baek said as he walked on into the room.

Hwoarang turned as he heard his master speak. "Yes, sir. I was just about to head off to bed," he said as he stood up.

"Good. You will need your rest if you want to be up early. You have to be at Jin's by 8:00 in the morning," the Tae Kwon Do master said, patting Hwoarang's shoulder lightly.

Hwoarang smiled and bowed to his master. "Good night, master." As he went to his room, he heard his master say, "Night," on the way. Master Baek was the only man whose orders Hwoarang would follow. However, tonight Hwoarang was going to break a few rules. Tonight Hwoarang was going to meet several of his gang members at a local night club and get hammered. He normally wouldn't do that when he was under master Baek's roof on weekdays or without saying so. In fact, he wasn't allowed to sneak out, but tonight was different. Tonight was the first time in several months that he would be hanging out with his gang. Plus, he did not know when he would see his Japanese street fighters over the next couple of weeks.

**TBC**


	3. A Rude Awakening, and A Rude Welcome!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hwoarang arrives and things start to get fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot how short my chapters were back then. I was still learning how to write with detail and lacked a lot of it. Me as a baby writer. I still have a lot to learn of course but, I had so much fun with this fic. Hwoarang is still one of my favorites to write as a character as well. I have so much fun with his ideas on life and his cocky attitude. I can write about him all day even after 11 years haha!

Chapter Three

_A Rude awakening and a Rude Welcome!_

Jin awoke at his usual time that morning at five. He had several things to do before Hwoarang came. One thing, he had to make sure Hwoarang's room was ready and suitable. However, before Jin could even think of doing anything, he needed some breakfast and a shower. Jin quickly threw a long black robe over his half-naked body and went to his private bathroom. Time for a shower... then breakfast, Jin said to himself and closed the door behind him.

After washing up and getting dressed, Jin headed down the stairs and into the kitchen. As he was halfway down the hall, he heard Uncle Lee call his name. The older man walked up to Jin and smiled. "Good morning, Jin. How are you?" he asked calmly.

"Good morning. I am fine, Lee. You?" Jin said and continued his way to the kitchen with Lee right behind him.

"I'm fine. So, is your buddy Hwoarang coming here?" Lee asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Yes, he will be arriving today or he should be…," Jin answered as he turned the lights on and walked over to the fridge.

"That's funny. So is Steve Fox. I wonder why pops is letting the four of us use the same house…. I was sure he said all teams would be separated...," Lee said with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

Jin didn't answer that. He only nodded and continued to make himself some cereal. Yet, the Japanese youth couldn't help but wonder the same thing.

Later That Morning:

"Hwoarang! Hwoarang, wake up!" Baek yelled at the younger Korean as he kicked his bed. "You drunken fool, I said, wake up!" The Tae Kwon Do master was furious with Hwoarang. The smell of beer and weed roamed the room. It was disgusting, and Baek was getting angrier with his student. He then brought a foot into the air and slammed it down on the young Korean's head. "Get you ass up now!"

"Ahh-urrge!" Hwoarang yelled, shaking his head and arms as he started to push his master's foot off him. "Man! Keep it down!" he yelled, holding onto his head.

"That is what you get for drinking all night! You will not get off easy for this, Hwoarang!" Baek said with anger. A furious look on his face while he was shouting at Hwoarang told that he meant business.

Hwoarang groaned loudly as he slowly pushed himself out of bed and tried to ignore the throbbing in his head. "Master, I-"

But before the Blood Talon could finish the sentence, a voice cut him off. "Hwoarang, I saw you last night with your street gang. All of you were kicking some poor guy's ass in that alley and smoking weed. You were lucky you got away from me, or I would have arrested your sorry asses," Lei Wulong said with anger. The Chinese officer had been standing next to Baek, and both men had stern and angry looks on their faces.

"And he still can, Hwoarang," Baek said, his voice calmer now, but the anger was still in his eyes.

Hwoarang's eyes narrowed and the Korean looked as if he was about to protest or even make a run for it. But, before he could say or do anything, Baek spoke, "However, considering the tournament is so close by, I won't let some stupid thing you did get in the way of someone else who wants to compete."

Hwoarang sighed in relief as he listened to his master's words. He was glad that he wasn't going to jail or that he didn't have to run off. Yet, before Hwoarang could say any thanks, Baek spoke again.

"But, don't think you're getting off just because of that. You will be spending some time in jail, don't worry. Once after the tournament is over or when you and Jin lose…. If you do, you will go right into prison and stay there for a month. You will do as you are told if you want to come back and train with me," Baek said in a serious tone, and Hwoarang knew he meant every word.

The Blood Talon was angry, but he also couldn't blame his master. He had disobeyed the rules after Baek had kindly taken him in for the summer. Sighing softly, Hwoarang nodded and bowed. "I'm sorry, Master. Please forgive me."

Baek sighed, but he smiled and patted the Blood Talon's shoulder lightly. "You are late of meeting Jin at his home. You were supposed to be there an hour ago. So, you better get going. Don't worry, I have the number to his place; he gave it to me the other day when I saw him. I will keep in touch and let you know what's going on. Now, get your thing sand get going," master Baek said, giving Hwoarang a one-armed hug. Baek then quickly let go and turned to the door. Before he left, he turned to Hwoarang and spoke once again. "And, don't forget: Speak your mind, but speak it wisely." He and Lei then exited the room and disappeared down the hall.

Hwoarang didn't quite know what his master meant by those words, but he decided to remember them. Hwoarang often remembered a lot of things his master said, even if they didn't make sense at the time.

Sighing, the Blood Talon gathered up his book bag and guitar. He was glad he had packed all of his clothes the previous day, or he would have left without them. When he had everything he needed, he headed out of the bedroom, down the hall, and out of the front door. He walked down the temple stairs and over to his bike. He strapped his guitar on his back and the book bag onto the handle bars. Once everything was in place, he took his bike key off the chain on his neck and got on. Sliding his goggles over his eyes, he waved goodbye to Baek and Lei and rode off.

The Blood Talon rode on his bike down the long, narrow street away from his master's temple. The Korean was trying to remember Jin's directions to the Mishima Temple. Jin had said it would be a 35-minute drive to get there, but the reckless Blood Talon was going to make it a quick 15-minute drive. The Korean ran the red lights, dodged the traffic, and barely escaped a few accidents on his motorcycle. A smile was on his face the whole time as he drove, and heavy winds blew hard against him.

When Hwoarang finally made it to Jin's place, his eyes widened at how big it didn't even think there were hotels as big as this place, from the looks of it. Hwoarang whistled as he easily drove up to the front gates where two Tekken soldiers stopped him in his tracks. The soldiers didn't hesitate when they saw the Blood Talon drive up – they pointed their guns straight at his face.

Hwoarang's eyes widened when he saw the guns. He pushed the goggles away from his eyes and onto his forehead. "Hey, fellows…. I'm here to see Kazama Jin. My name is Hwoarang…. I'm sure he told you of me?" Hwoarang said as he looked from one soldier to the other. Seeing that neither of the guards backed down, Hwoarang's eyes narrowed, and his right hand curled into a tight fist, the leather of his gloves making small squeaking noises the tighter he made it. "Kazama, you stupid…," Hwoarang said under his breath. He got off the bike and raised both his hands into the air.

"Hey, look! I'm here for Kazama Jin! He's fuckin' Heihachi Mishima's grandson!" Hwoarang shouted as the two guards started pulling back the triggers.

Hwoarang backed away, a scared look forming in his eyes. Just as he was about to get onto his bike, one guard's walkie-talkie went off and he heard someone's voice from the other side. The guards looked at one another and the right one nodded, moving out of the way. The one on the left opened the gate, and they both bowed at Hwoarang.

"About damn time," the Blood Talon said as he got back onto his bike, and slowly made his way to the front of the temple, parking his bike right in front of the main entrance.

The Blood Talon walked up the temple stairs and made his way to the front door. Cursing Kazama's name for having the guards nearly kill him, he pressed and held down the door bell, letting it ring continually. The door was soon answered by Lee.

"The hot-tempered Korean! Thought it was you," Lee said, shaking his head with a smile and moving out of the way to let Hwoarang in.

"Chaolan," the Blood Talon said with a bit of anger in his voice. He stepped past Lee and went inside. He took a good look around, a whistle escaping his lips.

"Jin's in the kitchen. Go ahead and greet him, or kick his ass, whichever. I have to go and pick someone up at the train station. See you later…. And, nice bike," Lee said as he walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Hwoarang only waved a hand at Lee before tying his bike key back around his neck where it was nice and secure. He made his way inside the main room. The young Korean let his eyes scout the area, taking in every detail. The place was defiantly big and seemed a lot larger on the inside than it did on the outside. The Blood Talon couldn't help but whistle, and his eyes widened.

Hwoarang dropped his book bag down onto the floor next to the doorway. He slowly moved next to the large painting of an angel hanging on the wall. Hwoarang reached a hand up to the small angel painting, letting his right index trace the wings. It was a beautiful male angel, with wavy red hair and green eyes. He was naked, with only a white blanket covering his lower torso. His wings were an orange red and looked of fire. "Hmmm…," Hwoarang said as he looked hard at the painting.

"That was my mother's…," said a voice from behind Hwoarang, causing the Blood Talon to slightly jump and pull away from the painting. He quickly turned around too see Jin standing there arms folded in the doorway.

"Kazama!" Hwoarang shouted. His eyes narrowed, and there was anger on his face. "Were you trying to get me shot?"

Jin's eyes widened at the sudden outburst, and he brought both hands in the air. "No. I'm sorry about the guards. That was Heihachi's doing. He had told them to deny any entrance without permission. I'm sorry I didn't get word of it until Lee told me," Kazama said, bowing politely to Hwoarang.

Hwoarang snorted and looked away from the Japanese. "Whatever. The old man isn't staying here, is he?"

"No. He is staying somewhere else. It will just be, you, Lee, Steve, and myself," Jin answered with a smile.

"Steve? Steve Fox?" Hwoarang suddenly asked, a grin forming on his lips. He watched as Jin nodded, and his grin grew bigger. "Damn, I haven't seen that fucker in over a year. Remind me to give him a good welcome," he chuckled. "Well, never mind that. Where am I staying?"

"Oh, right. Follow me," Jin said, turning away from the living room, and stopping at the door. "This your bag?"

"Yeah," Hwoarang answered as he pushed his guitar up higher onto his shoulder. He then followed Jin to his new room. This will be interesting, Hwoarang thought to himself. The grin never left his lips.


	4. Two Plus Two is Four?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Hwoarang have to share their training grounds with another team. It's more fun for Hwoarang, and maybe a bit of worry?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I changed the title of this chapter. It was a fine title maybe at the times, but looking at it now It could be seen as offensive, even incorrect. So do to those reason's I changed the title. Also if there is anything offensive in the chapters that I missed, I am truly sorry. I am trying to change what should be changed and keep what I believe is needed. So just a heads up. As a reminder, this story is 11 years old and a much younger me wrote this when I was more unaware of the more offensive topics of today that wasn't as largely open when I was younger. In other words, I have a better understanding now then I did before. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.

Chapter Four

_Two Plus Two is Four?_

Jin sat alone at the kitchen table, reading. After he had left Hwoarang in his room to unpack, he had decided to continue with his studies for Monday's exam. He knew he wouldn't have much time at the moment, as Lee would be returning with Steve Fox, and Hwoarang would be returning from his room. Lee and he knew they had to work out a routine for training. Using the dojo wouldn't be hard, considering there were two at the temple; it was the gym they had to share.

That was the least of Jin's worries, however. His main worry was that Hwoarang was his partner. He didn't mind that the Blood Talon was his partner for the tournament since the two of them had worked together countless of times. The most recent time had been a little over a year and a half ago when he had helped the Korean escape from the Korean military. Then, two years before that, Hwoarang had helped Jin escape from Tekken Force when Heihachi had been after him. So, he knew the Blood Talon didn't necessarily hate him; it was just some rivalry to get even. In last year's tournament, Hwoarang had seemed to be an all right guy, just bloodthirsty to fight. He couldn't blame the Blood Talon; if it were him, he would want to settle the score too, just not at every chance he got. It was the Korean's temper that made him worry the most.

Jin had often thought it was Hwoarang's way of showing friendship. That was how Jin thought of it, anyway. Growing up, Jin didn't really have many friends, as he had lived a sheltered life and had often been shy around people. Then, in his second year of high school, he had met Ling Xiaoyu. She had just started the 8th grade, and he the 10th. He didn't see her too much as a friend but more as a little sister. Sometimes, she did get a little annoying to Jin, but Jin never had the heart to let her know that. Lee was another friend of Jin's, despite their age difference. But other than those two, Jin spent most of his time alone. Maybe this tournament would be different and good for the young Kazama.

Jin hadn't realized he was staring into space until he noticed a blue-gloved hand moving up and down before his eyes. His brown orbs widened, and he quickly looked up to see the Blood Talon standing over him, a smirk on his lips. He looked as though he had showered and changed. His hair was damp and all over the place. Blinking, Jin watched as the Blood Talon pulled out a chair and turned it backwards as he sat down.

"Sleeping beauty much, Kazama?" Hwoarang said with a snicker.

Jin could feel his cheeks heating slightly as he stared back down to his book, closing it. "Did you need something?" he asked as he slowly brought his attention back to the Blood Talon.

The smirk never left the Korean's face as he watched Jin, and he shook his head. "No, not really. Umm, who did you say was joining us? Lee and Steve?"

"Yes. Steve Fox is Lee's partner this year," Jin answered.

"Ha ha! That's awesome! Got him drunk once, after winning a spar against him. Talks too much," Hwoarang said with a snicker. "Wanted to kill me the next day. Anyway, what had your attention in that mind of yours before I walked in?"

"I-." Just as Jin was about to answer the Blood Talon's question, they both heard the slamming of the front door and loud voices. Jin bowed his head towards Hwoarangas he slid out of his chair and walked out of the kitchen, down the hall, and into the main room.

"OY! Hey there, Kazama Jin. Nice to see ya!" Steve Fox said with a smile, a suitcase in his hand.

Jin smiled and nodded at the British boxer. "Welcome, Steve," he said. He then felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Hwoarang behind him.

"Hey, look, it's Foxy Steve!" Hwoarang said with a smirk.

"Holy shit!" Steve's eyes widened when he saw the Korean standing next to Jin, and he shook his head, taking a good look at the young Korean. "Well, damn, you haven't changed. How are ya, Hwoarang?"

"I was doing fine, then you showed up," the Korean joked and brought an arm around Jin's neck, pulling the Japanese close. "This is my FUCKING PARTNER!" he said, putting more emphasis on the word "fucking" as a joke, and gave a wink.

"Are you drunk?" Steve couldn't help but ask and laughed.

Lee came into the room, carrying another suitcase. "All right, kids, we all know each other. Steve, let's go get you settled," he said and headed up the stairs. Steve laughed and let Lee go ahead of him before stopping next to Hwoarang.

Hwoarang's grin grew into a smile and he pushed Jin aside. The Korean and the Brit moved into a hug, slapping each other's backs. "Damn, been long," Steve said happily.

"Fuck, yeah," Hwoarang said and whispered something in Steve's ear before shoving him off. "Stop getting gooey on me, prick!"

"Yeah, yeah. See you later," Steve said with a laugh and ran on up the stairs after Lee. Jin couldn't help but stare at Hwoarang with disbelief. He had never thought Hwoarang could get excited to see someone. His brown eyes widened, and he didn't know what to think of anything. 

Hwoarang smiled and snickered. "Fuck, that will get his balls in knots. Looks like it got yours in knots, too. What's wrong, cat got your tongue?"

Another blush came over the Japanese's cheeks, and he shook his head. "You didn't have to say it that way…." 

"Say what how?" Hwoarang said with a smirk and stared at the Japanese. 

Jin knew that the Korean knew what he meant and sighed. "We're not… fucking partners…," he said awkwardly.

Hwoarang's smirk grew bigger, and he shook his head, holding back a laugh. "What's wrong, Jinny-kins? I'm not good enough for you? Should I drop out of the tourney?"

Jin's eyes widened at the odd nickname. Was the Blood Talon flirting with him? He didn't know what to say and so he shook his head. "No, of course not," he said and rubbed his forehead. The Korean was more than a headache. He did, however, want to know more about the relationship between the Blood Talon and the British boxer. They seemed closer than drinking buddies. Jin couldn't help but feel a tight knot in the pit of his stomach. 

"Jin, you all right?" Hwoarang asked, tilting his head to the side. He stared at his rival, wondering what was on the Japanese's mind. He noticed that Jin looked a little angry or annoyed at something. "Hey, sleeping beauty!" he said when Kazama didn't answer.

Jin shook his head and turned his attention back to Hwoarang. "Sorry…," he said and stepped away.

"Jin, let's go eat, and you tell me what's in that mind of yours," Hwoarang said with a snicker and headed back to the kitchen. Jin? Since when did he start calling me by my first name…? Jin thought to himself as he followed the Korean into the kitchen.

Five minutes passed before Lee and Steve returned. They spotted Jin reading and Hwoarang eating a sandwich and drinking a coke. Lee raised a brow at the picture as he stepped in and then shook his head. "Now, if I didn't know better, I would think you two were a married couple or lovers. Calmly sitting there in each other's presence," the older man said as he grabbed himself a coke.

Hwoarang swallowed hard as he looked up to the silver-haired man, his eyes narrowing. "Want a beating? Because I'll give you one right here and now."

Jin easily closed his book and stared at the other two. Steve looked a bit uneasy as he took a seat next to Jin and accepted the coke he was offered by Lee. 

"Relax, it was a joke," Lee said as he sat next to the Blood Talon. "Fag," he muttered with a smirk. 

Hwoarang rose from his chair, which almost fell over in the process. "Better be asking for a cigarette!" he said, anger growing in his voice.

Lee, Steve, and Jin all got up now. Jin quickly took a hold of the Blood Talon's shoulder. "Doo San, calm down. He was joking with you," he said, restraining the Blood Talon from attacking the silver-haired devil.

"Hwoarang, man, we don't need to fight. Save it for the tournament," said Steve, looking at the Blood Talon and then at Lee.

"Hwoarang, I was joking. Don't turn this into anything it shouldn't be," Lee said with a bit of an edge to his voice.

Hwoarang took in a deep breath and pushed away from Jin, sitting back down. "Fine," he said and went back to his sandwich.

The other three let out deep breaths of relief and sat back down to the table. Steve shook his head. "Let's get down to talking here. We have to figure a few things out, don't we?" the Brittish boxer said, looking around the table. 

Jin nodded and looked over to Lee. "So, how are we going to work this? We need to share the gym."

Lee sat back and thought for a moment. "Well, we take it for one week, you two have it the other week," he said, looking at Jin. 

"Fuck that! Seven days a week, one day off training, that makes six days. Three days we have it, three days you fuckers have it. Jin has school Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Those days you two can take the gym, the days Jin has off we can take it. Plain and simple," the Blood Talon said and took a good sip of his drink.

Lee, Steve, and Jin all looked at one anotherand shrugged. "All right, that could work," said Lee with a smile, and Jin nodded in agreement. 

Hwoarang took a good gulp of his soda and then a large bite of his sandwich, finishing it off with a satisfied look on his face. "Good sandwich, Kazama."

"Bit of a pig you got as a fucking partner there, Jin," Steve said with a smirkas he watched the Blood Talon. 

Jin couldn't help but chuckle a bit and shake his head. "What is it with you two, calling it that?"

"What are you talking about, Steve?" Hwoarang said with a smirk and then shook his head. "Lei is not Jin's partner. Nor fucking one at that. I am."

Jin brought his hands to his face and leaned back into his chair, not believing this conversation. Lee merely shook his head and laughed. "Speaking of Lei, anyone know who his partner is?"

"My master, Doo San Baek," Hwoarang said as he looked to Jin. "What's wrong, Kazama?"

"Really? Hmm, looks like they really know what they were doing in the tournament…." Lee paused as he stared over at Jin then spoke again, "Umm…. He's not used to the conversation you and Steve started…."

"You really think they thought it through then?" Steve asked Lee.

"Jin, relax, Steve's a pervert and you gotta get used to my mouth…." …on your Blood Talon shook his head at the random thought and brought his attention back to the conversation.

"Fuck you, Hwoa," Steve said with a grin, eyeing the Blood Talon.

Lee simply ignored the comments between Steve and Hwoarang and continued the conversation. "Yes, to put Baekand Lei together in a match is smart thinking. Now, it would have been smart to put me with Marshall Law or with Hwoarang. I was surprised to see that I had Steve, but then I can see the advantage we will have as well. So, I guess they did pick good partners... If not with all, with most," Lee answered Steve.

"Oh? You think?" Hwoarang asked giving Jin a cold stare. He then turned to Steve with a grin.

"And Steve? Up the ass or in the mouth?"

Jin noticed the stare, but didn't say anything of it. He knew the Blood Talon wanted more to fight him than to fight with him. Jin covered his face again at the conversation. "I have to agree with Lee on this one. They put the Williams sisters together as well. Those two don't get along at all, but they make a great team," Steve said, leaning back into his chair. He then let out a laugh at Hwoarang's comment. "You sick fucker."

Lee nodded and thought for a moment. "That's what makes me wonder: Why did they put Hwoarang here with Jin? I mean, I can see how they would make good partners, but not as much as if Hwoarang would with me or you. Or even Baek himself. Though, like I said, I can work with Steve's jabs, but Hwoarang would work better with them with his deadly kicks. Maybe…. I guess they know something we don't?"

Jin removed his hands from his face and shook his head. "The idea is to learn how to work together. My new fighting styleis more similar to Hwoarang's now than it was when I had my father's."

"Jin, you're a romantic. Picking a fighting style close to your rival's. You asshole," Hwoarang said, leaning back into his chair, a smirk on his face.

"It's still a bit surprising. It's hard for me to picture Jin doing those high kicks and Hwoarang the hard punches," Lee said with a snicker.

"Doo San and I have worked together before, though," Jin said calmly.

"Doo San? Fuck, that's right…," Hwoarang said and shook his head. "Yeah, we kicked some major ass last year. Heh, right after I kicked your ass, Kazama," the Blood Talon said with a smirk. "But that's beside the point. I think the people organizing this thing know something we don't, and we will have to find out what it is."

"Maybe it has to do with you two tying all the time. Figured, they can't beat each other, so why not make them work together," said Lee with wonder. 

"So they make us fucking partners? I mean…fighting…," Hwoarang said with a laugh.

"Well, gents, it was nice talking to you. I'm going to my room for a while. Steve, don't let these two bore you. We'll start training tomorrow." With that, Lee walked out of the room, throwing his empty coke can away on his way out. 

"I need a fucking cigarette. Steve, we'll talk later, and Jin, don't look at me." The Blood Talon was a bit mean. He didn't mean it, really; he just felt a bit angry for some reason, and he left the room without another word. 

"Why doesn't he like you?" Steve asked, staring at Jin.

"Because a few years ago, before the third tournament, we tied in a street fight. Then again at the tournament. Ever since then, he's been seeking a rematch, and that's what started the rivalry," Jin said with a soft sigh and shook his head.

"What is the story with you two?" Jin asked and, for some reason, he needed to know. 

"Well, I met the Blood Talon by the train station. He recognized me from the tournament and asked me for a spar. So we fought, and he ended up kicking my ass. Then, afterwards, we headed to a bar and got drunk. What happened that night meant something then, but now it's just a friendship. I am glad for it," the Brittish boxer said truthfully and gave a laugh. 

Jin stared at Steve with a bit of disbelief. Was he saying what he thought he was saying? Did the two sleep together once, or twice…? Was the Blood Talon, Hwoarang, gay? He couldn't be. Jin has seen Hwoarang many times before at bars, his mouth linked to some girls, often walking out of hotel rooms with a girl by his side. 

"Well, Kazama-san, whatever it is between you and the Blood Talon, you should work out your differences within this tournament. I know he's a hothead and an asshole, but he is a good friend. In this tournament, you two will need to work together, and to work together is to trust each other. Can't do that if you're not friends. Anyway, I have a bit of unpacking to do," Steve said and stood up. "Tell Hwoa we can catch up later. That's if you see him, anyway."

"You can call me Jin. And I will try and talk with Doo San…," Jin said, standing up as well. "I'll remember that. I mean, we should all be on a first-name basis, anyway," Steve said and left leaving Jin alone.


	5. Drunk and Peppornies?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was probably one of my favorite chapters to write. I remember my proofreader and I having a good laugh at this one. I also remember referencing one of my favorite books I read back when I was in school. I hope you all who may be reading this for the first time or again enjoy this as much as I do. 
> 
> Also, editing it rough. I am trying not to change anything. Just a few phrases here and there. Yet, it's taking a lot longer to post this than I thought, I may have to post the rest tomorrow or later in the week, Yikes.

Chapter 5

_Drunk and Pepperonis?_

Hwoarang sat on his bed in his new room with a cigarette in his mouth and an annoyed look on his face. He took in a deep drag before taking the cigarette out, holding it between two fingers. His thoughts were on the downstairs conversation. "They know something…," he said, taking one last puff of the smoke and crunching the cigarette into the small ashtray.

The Korean then lay back on the bed, his eyes staring up at the ceiling. The Blood Talon couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this tournament, but he couldn't think straight. His mind was going in all different directions. He didn't know why or what it was, but he wasn't so angry anymore that Jin was his partner. He was actually glad, and that confused him. Was this rivalry he had sworn he had with the Japanese fighter just to hide one of his most hidden secrets?

He was also happy too see Steve again. He knew the British boxer still had an attraction to him and Hwoarang couldn't hide that he felt the same. But that's all it was: an attraction. He had no feelings but friendship for Steve. But he had a feeling Steve felt differently toward him, knew Steve still had feelings for him. A talk was in order.

Hwoarang knew he would have to clear things with the British boxer some other time, though. For now, his concerns were on Jin. Why had he developed a weird feeling toward the Japanese fighter? An attraction… maybe, he thought, but couldn't explain the reason for the feeling.

With great frustration, Hwoarang pulled at his hair and pushed himself out of bed. He quickly grabbed a pack of smokes and stormed out of the room and down the hall. When he made it to the end of the hall, he watched as Jin made his way up the stairs. The fighters caught eye contact. Hwoarang couldn't help but stare at the brown eyes before him.

"Doo San, is something wrong?" he heard Jin say in a concerned but soft tone, stopping in front him. Hwoarang shook his headand looked away from the Japanese fighter, pushing past him. "I'm fine. Going out for a while. This time, let your guards know, asshole," the Blood Talon said, sliding down the banister, quickly making his way out of the front door.

Jin couldn't help but stare after the Blood Talon, wondering what was wrong with him. He sighed heavily and turned around to see Lee and Steve standing there with questioning looks. Jin only shrugged and shook his head.

Twenty Minutes Later:

The Blood Talon had made his way to the bar less than ten minutes. He hadn't been there for more than five minutes, but he was already starting to get buzzed. He was arm in arm with a lovely young redhead, an 18-year-old girl. He was flirting with her and giving her soft kisses near her neck. After another beer, Hwoarang whispered something in her ear. She smiled and nodded, and the two moved away from the bar. Hwoarang threw some money on the table and the two escaped, laughing and kissing on the way out. They walked out of the bar and down the street to the nearest hotel, disappearing into it.

Back at the Temple:

Three hours had passed since the Blood Talon had left, and Jin was alone in his room. He was worried about his rivalleaving like that. Something was surely bothering the Korean, and Jin couldn't help but wonder what. Steve and Lee were downstairs together, playing some Playstation game on the TV. They had asked Jin if he wanted to join them, but Jin had declined, still having to study.

He knew he should go and look for the Blood Talon, but he decided against it, considering how angry Hwoarang had been. He thought it would be best if he waited for him to return on his own instead.

It didn't help that Jin was also angry with the Blood Talon for calling him an asshole and leaving the way he did. He knew, well, knew it was going to be like this during the whole tournament. He sighed heavily, wondering if he should ask for a fight from the Blood Talon and get it over with. Then maybe the fighting between them would stop. But then he thought of what Steve said, about how they all should just try and be friends. Jin sighed againand couldn't help but wonder if Hwoarang was the way he was because of something that had happened to him in the past, or if there was some kind of a story behind his bad behavior.

Jin slowly closed his eyes as he thought about Hwoarang. He wondered what his secrets were, wondered what it was that made Hwoarang tick all the time. Can't be because he hates me… can it? There has to be more…, Jin thought to himself as he turned to his side, feeling his eyes become heavy.

After an hour passed, Jin received a brutal awakening. Lee, his uncle, stormed into his room and kicked him on the side of the head. "Wake up, Jin!" he said with an angry tone of voice.

Jin groaned in pain, holding onto his head as he sat up and stared at his uncle, then at Steve, who was in the doorway. "What is it?"

"Your pal, Hwoarang. The boy knows how to party. Steve and I went out to a club to catch a bit of fun for the night. Well, that bit of fun turned out into a fight. We caught Hwoarang leaving a hotel with some bitch and a bit buzzed. He went in the club and had a few drinks more. Steve and I decided to join him, thinking possibly you were with him," Lee said, shaking his head.

"So we asked Hwoarang where you were, and he said he didn't give a fuck. That he was having too much fun. So Lee here punched him," Steve finished.

"Which was my mistake because when Hwoarang went to kick me back, he missed, kicking someone else. So, of course, the three of us got into a fight. However, when the fight was over, the Blood Talon left on his bike, calling us losers on the way," Lee explained.

Jin's eyes widened, and he stood up to his feet. "Where did he go?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

Steve sighed and shook his head. "We have no idea. We went looking for him, but it's impossible to keep up with him when he's drunk… and… on his bike," he said a bit knowingly. "I hope he didn't do anything stupid," the Brit said, a worried look in his coral blue eyes as he stared at Jin.

Jin nodded as he listened and he sighed heavily, knowing that he would have to go find the Korean. "I will go look for him," he said, grabbing his jacket from the foot of his bed and started to walk out of the room.

"Want us to help look for him, mate?" Steve asked, going after Jin.

"I can do it alone. I think it's because he is angry with me for some reason. But if you want to join me, I won't mind," he said truthfully and started to walk on down the hallway with Lee and Steve behind him.

Then, just as Jin, Steve, and Lee had made their way down the stairs, they heard a loud bang at the front door. The three stared at each other and then ran towards the front entrance. There they saw Paul Phoenix holding a drunken red-headed Korean by the neck. He tossed the Korean to the groundand snorted. "Your master told me to keep an eye on you, boy! Told me to watch ya! And when I find ya, you're drunk and kicking ass! If I find your ass getting in a street fight over something that stupid again, you ain't gotta worry about the tournament!" he said as he stared at the drunken Hwoarang on the floor in anger.

Hwoarang groaned and brought a hand to his aching head. He was in no condition to stand just yet, but that didn't stop him from shooting off his mouth. "Fuck you! It's none of your fuckin' business what I do! So fuck off!"

Paul's fingers curled into a tight fist. Anger was written all over his face. He quickly brought an arm back and delivered a power punch to the Blood Talon's head, sending him across the room into Jin, Steve, and Lee. The four fell to the ground together. Lee got up first and Steve followed, along with Jin.

"Thank you… for returning him…," Jin said, looking at Hwoarang, who was half-unconscious.

Paul simply shook his headand stormed out, slamming the door shut. Jin sighed heavilyand bent over along with Steve. The two started to help the Korean stand to his wobbly legs. The Korean stared at Jin, anger still in his eyes. "Kazama, I'll take you on… I'll take you on right here and now!" he said, moving away from Jin and Steve's grasps only to fall over again, this time knocking Lee to the ground.

Lee groanedand pushed the Blood Talon off his body. "Take the motherfucker to his room, Jin," he said, jumping to his feet.

Hwoarang was lifted yet again by Jin and Steve, both supporting him. Hwoarang's attention was now on Steve. "Hey, it's Foxy Steve. I know you want more, bitch! But I told friends! It was a fucked you up. You were in pain! HA! Okay, maybe some other time," he shoutedand turned to Jin. "You! I said I'll take you on! You don't understand me, you shithead. Let's go. Fight me! KAZ-A-MA-MA…! Mama, ha ha! Jin's my mom…," he moved away from their grasps again, this time keeping his balance.

Jin shook his headat the Blood Talonand backed away. "Doo San, we do not need to do this. Calm down. Did you call me your mom?"

"What do you care, Kazama Jin! You don't understand. There is a reason, I have one, and fuck you! Yeah!" Hwoarang stormed away, somehow making his way up the stairs. All three fighters watched and listened until they heard the door slam and then they heard a loud thud.

Steve sighed heavilyand shook his head. "There must be something behind those closed doors. When I asked him about it, he said there was nothing and that it wasn't any of my business if there was," he said with a worried glance to the ceiling.

"I have to agree…. When he left I could tell there was something on his mind…," Jin saidand sighed.

"Hey, being a Korean myself and an old street thug, I can kind of see where he's coming from. I can tell you that he definitely must have a story behind his behavior, but it seems too personal for him to even say anything. You would probably have to be real close to the Blood Talon to get any secrets out of him. I mean, he doesn't even trust anyone with his real name. That's one of his biggest secrets. Otherwise, why would he join the tournament using his street fighter name, Hwoarang? Or the Blood Talon?" Lee shook his head and sighed, leaning against the wall.

"There is definitely something troubling him…," Jin repeated and stared up.

"Maybe we should make it a side mission to find out…," Steve said with a smirk.

"No, we should leave him be. Try and be his friend, and maybe he will come to us," said Jin, taking off his jacket and hanging it up.

"Sounds like the impossible," Lee said, grinning.

"He's not that bad of a guy, but it is worth a try," said Steve.

Jin just smiled in agreement, his brown eyes still on the ceiling, his thoughts on Hwoarang, wondering how to crack the Korean.

"Whatever. Let's eat. How about pizza for dinner?" Lee asked as he started to walk into the kitchen with Steve behind him.

"Yeah, sounds good, mate," the Brit said as they stopped to wait for Jin.

Jin stared at them and nodded. "Please order. A plain one or one with mushrooms for me…," he saidas he took one more look at the ceiling and then followed the two fighters.

Later That Night:

Hwoarang awoke with an alarming headache. Holding his head, he groaned loudly as he forced himself into a sitting position. He was lying on the floor right next to the bed. It appeared that, in his drunken state, he hadn't quite made it to the soft cushioning of his bed and had instead landed on the hard floor. The Blood Talon stood on his wobbly legs as he grabbed a cigarette from the table and headed out on the balcony.

Once Hwoarang lit his cigarette and took a long drag, he brought his hand to his forehead and winced in slight pain. "Damn migraine…," he said and rubbed at his temple.

"Would you like some Ibuprofen or anything?" said a soft voice from his right. When he looked to see who it was, he saw Jin sitting in a chair with a book in his lap.

Hwoarang glared at him for a moment, but then his eyes quickly softened as he nodded his head. "Yeah… I could use some…."

Jin nodded his head and placed his book down. Hwoarang caught the concern in the Japanese's eyes, as he turned away and left to his room. He came back shortly after with a glass of water and two pills in his hand. Hwoarang watched as Jin placed the water on his chair and climbed over the small wall that separated their balconies and slowly moved over to him. Taking the last hit of his cigarette, Hwoarang crushed the cigarette into the ashtray and stepped over to Jin, taking the pills.

"Thanks…," he said, staring into the Japanese fighter's eyes, almost getting lost in them. He quickly popped the pills into his mouth, losing the eye connection. He then took a hold of the glass of water, draining it in one gulp.

"You're welcome...," Jin said with a soft smile as he watched the Korean rub at his head carefully.

It was a slightly awkward moment for the two, and silence came between them.

Hwoarang stared at Jin with one eye, the other eye covered by his hand. He smiled and stood up straight, letting his hand fall to his side. He wanted desperately to take Jin into his arms and kiss him. But he shook his head, and the thought quickly disappeared as Jin started to speak.

"Are you hungry…?" Jin asked in a soft voice, folding his arms over his chest as he watched the Blood Talon. "We ordered pizza before…. There's a tray left."

Hwoarang smiledand nodded. "Yeah, all right. Come on, Kazama, let's get me some grub…," he said and walked into his room with Jin right behind him.

The two didn't say anything to each other as they left the room and down the hall. Then, on their way down, Hwoarang sighed heavily. "Hey…," he said, stopping just at the end of the stairs. Jin turned and looked at the Blood Talon, watching him rub the back of his head. "Look…. Uh…. You're not an asshole, okay?" he said and stepped away from the Japanese and into the kitchen.

Jin couldn't help but smile and shake his head as he followed the Korean into the kitchen. When Jin entered, he watched as Hwoarang turned to him. The Korean looked tired and he was still rubbing the back of his head. That's when Jin noticed he wasn't wearing his goggles or a headband. It was the first time since the fourth tournament Jin had seen the Blood Talon with his hair down. He couldn't help but want to brush some of the hair away from the Korean's smooth face. What the hell am I thinking of? he thought to himself. His eyes widened as he rubbed the back of his own head.

"So, err… how long was I out?" Hwoarang askedand went over to the fridge, finding a cokeand the tray of pizza.

"Four hours…," Jin said, watching him while leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Damn, I must have been wasted…," the Blood Talon said as he placed three slices of pepperoni and mushroom pizza on a plateand inserted the plate into the microwave. "You having some pepperoni?" he asked, turning his head to Jin.

Jin shook his head. "I do not eat meat," he answered firmly.

"Pepperoni isn't meat!" Hwoarang laughed and took a piece of pepperoni off a cold pizza slice, wiggling it in front of Jin's face. "Ahh, look! It's pepperoni! You can't hunt pepperoni unless it's pepperoni season! If you hunt down pepperoni, it will come after you! It's pepperoni season, and you can only hunt it with a pepperoni weapon. You can't shoot or stab a pepperoni, though. You have to STRANGLE IT!" the Blood Talon said as he threw the pepperoni into his mouth and snickered. It was obvious that the Korean was still slightly buzzed, and Jin couldn't help but shake his head and let out a small laugh.

"You're still out of it, Hwoarang," Jin saidand closed his eyes. He realized he had said the Blood Talon's name, but seeing that the Korean didn't care, he only smiled.

"You know, I bet they even have pepperoni farms now. Jin, relax. Meat isn't going to hurt you," Hwoarang said as he pulled out the pizza from the microwave and sat down at the table. Jin sat down across from him after grabbing a bottle of water.

Just as the two sat down and the Blood Talon started to eat, Steve and Lee came into the kitchen.

"Hey, Hwoarang. You feeling better, mate?" Steve asked, sitting next to the Blood Talon.

The Korean looked up from his food and swallowed hard. "Yeah. Phoenix pissed me off, though," he said as he took another bite of his pizza before picking off a mushroom and throwing it into his mouth.

"He pisses everyone off," said Lee as he grabbed himself a coke and sat across from Steve.

"Who is his partner this year?" asked Steve, looking around the table.

"Law, I believe," Jin said as he watched the Blood Talon stick another pepperoni in his mouth.

"Those two are good friends. Like brothers," Lee said with a sigh. "I believe they were partners in the first tag tournament, too. Don't see why Law hangs out with that guy. He's a big fucking fag." Lee's eyes caught Hwoarang's.

"A cigarette?" Hwoarang asked with narrowed brows.

"No, I just had one, thanks," Lee said and returned the glare.

"It's because you said fag," Steve said as he got himself a drink and turned to Lee. "Fag means a cigarette where I come from," he said, sitting back down.

"Heh, I've heard of that," said Jin with a grin.

"Still, it also means-," Lee started but then stopped as he noticed Hwoarang's glare.

"It also means gay in some countries, yeah, so?" said Hwoarang, finishing Lee's sentence for him.

"So, cigarettes are gay?" Lee asked with a raised brow. That made the younger Korean snickerand shake his head.

"Fuck you, Lee," Hwoarang said and turned back to his pizza. "Strangle the pepperoni!" Hwoarang said with a small laugh and stared at Jin.

Jin only shook his headand shrugged when the other two gave him questioning look.

"Did you ever notice, each time the four of us sit at the table so far, Hwoarang is eating something?" said Steve with a smirk on his lips. That made everyone laugh lightly, with Jin and Lee nodding in agreement. Hwoarang just ignored them.


	6. So it Begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must have had a lot of fun coming up with the names of each chapter writing this. Because some of them are great and some of them are just awful. So far I only had to change one. 
> 
> Also, I want to point out, that I forgot to mention in the first chapter that I had called Lee Korean. That is because back when I first was writing this fic, even before it was published on fanfiction (dot) net I was doing some research on him and had found an article stating he was Korean and not Chinese. However, I know now that the article to be wrong. So I have been trying to change that, but I may miss a few places where I still refer to him as a Korean. So again I apologize for this mistake. However, I think this is mentioned in a later chapter as well? I can't remember.

A/N: **_-Demon/devil thoughts-_** _ _  
 _-Normal Thoughts-___

Chapter Six

_So it begins!_

Hwoarang awoke early the next morning, knowing that it was the first day of training for the upcoming tournament. The first thing on the Blood Talon's mind was a nice, hot shower to start the day off, then some breakfast, and from there, to see what Jin had planned for the first day. One thing was for certain: Hwoarang knew it was going to be a long day.

After Hwoarang had finished with his shower and dressed in his training gear, he headed straight out of his room. He quickly made his way down the long hallway and stairs and then into the kitchen. The first thing Hwoarang noticed when he walked into the small dining area was Jin and Steve. The two fighters were already up and eating breakfast and also enjoying a small, friendly conversation, which was interrupted as Hwoarang appeared in the doorway.

"Morning, Fox, Kazama," Hwoarang said as he entered the room and started searching the cabinets for some good cereal and a bowl. When he found both, he poured the cereal and the milk and then scanned the area for a spoon. His eyes lingered on Jin. Seeing that the Japanese man was finished eating, he took Jin's spoon and sat down.

Jin blinked a few times, his eyes wandering on the Blood Talon, who began to use his spoon, but then he shook his head. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, calmly picking up his bowl and putting it into the dishwasher.

"Like a fucking cat, Kazama," Hwoarang said before taking the first bite of his breakfast.

"Good to hear, Hwoarang. So, I'm guessing you have no trouble sleeping in strange beds?" Steve asked with a smile.

Hwoarang lifted his eyes to stare at the British boxer and he shook his head. "I lived on the streets half my life. Of course not. Well, unless the person I'm sleeping with is strange," Hwoarang chuckled, taking a few more bites of his cereal. Then, as the Korean was going to say something else, the radio started playing "Only Time." "Mmm," he groaned with a mouthful of corn puffs, snapping his fingers. "Turn that up…," he said after swallowing hard.

Steve raised a brow at the Blood Talon and watched as Jin turned the radio up as requested. "Favorite song?" the British boxer asked with a raised brow.

"No. Where's Chaolan?" Hwoarang asked, just then noticing that Lee wasn't in the room.

"Lee usually wakes at seven," Jin answered, sitting back down.

"Lazyass, if you ask me," Hwoarang said.

"He should be up any moment…," Jin answered.

"I hope so. Would hate to start late on the firs' day," Steve said, sighing heavily.

"I'm right here. Keep your damn pants on," Lee said as he walked into the room, fully dressed and wide awake. "And I've been up since four this morning," he said as he took a seat next to the Blood Talon.

"Why?" Steve asked, finishing off his orange juice.

"Because I had to restock some of the equipment in the upper dojo, then make some business calls. So, we can start anytime you are ready," Lee answered.

Hwoarang swallowed hard at this news and stared over at Jin with narrowed brows. "So, what are we going to do?" he asked, scooping up more cereal into his mouth.

"We can start off with a few basic stretches; after, take some laps. After a good warm-up, we can head up to the gym and work on our muscles before heading to the lower dojo and doing some real work," Jin answered, eyeing the Korean, who was chewing his food loudly.

Hwoarang nodded as he chewed his cereal, spilling some of his milk, and then pouring himself a second bowl. "Cool."

Steve couldn't help but laugh as he watched the redhead eat. "I guess I was right, saying every time the four of us sit here in the kitchen, Hwoarang will be eating." Everyone laughed and watched as Hwoarang spilled a bit more of the milk. "And like a pig, at that."

"I'm no cop," Hwoarang said with a chuckle, enjoying his cereal.

"I think, we know that from last night's experience," Lee said with another laugh.

"That was nothing. I've had worse cases," Hwoarang said and took another bite.

"We believe you, mate. We really do," said Steve, watching him.

"You should try and relax. You do not want to get arrested before the tournament," said Jin and eyed Hwoarang with concern.

"Ha ha, too late. After the tournament, I go directly to jail," Hwoarang said with a chuckle. "I'll be booked up for a month, maybe longer."

"Damn. What did you do?" asked Lee.

"Fucking, street fighting, getting high and drunk," Hwoarang answered with a shrug, finishing off the last bite of his breakfast.

Steve, Jin, and Lee all stared at him with wide eyes before Steve spoke. "All in one night?"

Hwoarang sighed heavily, dropped the spoon into the empty bowl, and sat back. He was getting annoyed with the subject about him. "Look, now that the tournament has started, I will chill a bit more. Mainly when the matches get more tense. So, I'm not going to sit here and listen to all of your lectures or anything. I already got one from my master." Hwoarang's tone was angry and annoyed, and he looked at Jin as he spoke.

Jin simply nodded and frowned, standing to his feet. He then spoke to Hwoarang. "When you are ready, I will be outside, waiting." He bowed his head politely towards Steve and Lee and then stepped out of the room.

"Hwoarang," Steve said after Jin had left. He sounded a bit annoyed.

"Steve," the Blood Talon said, matching the British boxer's tone.

"What do you have against Jin?"

"That's nun of your fucken business, Steve," the Blood Talon said, throwing his bowl into the sink.

"I was only asking…," Steve said mildly and eyed Lee, who shook his head. "Never mind, you're right. Your business…."

"What I have against Jin is that we have a rivalry that will never settle with a simple fight." That was all the Korean said before heading out of the room. "If you don't know the story, then don't ask me; ask someone else. It goes back to even before you joined the tournament." Those were Hwoarang's last words as he stepped out of the kitchen and disappeared down the long hallway.

"Think Jin did something to the Blood Talon?" Steve asked Lee.

Lee shrugged and sighed. "I don't know. All I know is they tied in a street brawl and then at the third tournament. When the rematch was supposed to start, Jin never showed. That's all I know. I know they had several other encounters…. Apparently, anyway, but I don't know anything behind the story," Lee sighed and then smirked as he stood to his feet. "They seem like a pair of idiots to me. One thirsts to fight, the other…. Well, the other one doesn't want to fight at all. Both drawn in an odd circle."

Steve laughed with a shrug and stood up as well. The two then headed off to the dojo.

Outside the temple, Jin could be seen in the backyard, stretching out his back and hips, waiting for Hwoarang to arrive. When Hwoarang came out from the back door, Jin stopped and stared up at his rival, watching him place a cigarette and a lighter under his green headband. Jin couldn't help but stare at the shoulder-length red hair that was pulled back with the headband. The urge to just go over there and run his fingers through the copper strands was overwhelming. Jin closed his eyes and swallowed hard at the thought, quickly turning his head away.

Hwoarang's narrowed crimson brown orbs stared at the Japanese fighter before him. He sighed heavily as he stepped off the porch, slowly making his way over to his rival, stopping next to him. "All right, stretching… right?" he asked with a raised brow. Jin simply nodded and stood back a few feet to give the Blood Talon some room.

Jin couldn't help but watch the Korean beauty for a few moments. He watched as Hwoarang dropped to the ground and stretched out his long, narrow, deadly legs, then arched his back so his arms could reach for his feet. You like what you see? Jin heard a low voice say from deep within his mind. Shaking his head, he quickly went back to his own stretching. He wondered if it was his own voice he had heard, or if it was the devil within.

After the two fighters were finished with their stretching and standing up straight again, Hwoarang turned to Jin, waiting for the Japanese to say or do something. "What now?" he asked.

"Let's do a few laps," Jin answered softly, keeping his eyes away from the Korean before him.

"All right," the Blood Talon said in a surprisingly calm voice, considering his looks showed annoyance. "So, how many?"

"Twenty laps around the temple," Jin answered, getting in a running position.

Hwoarang jumped up and down on the balls of his feet, also getting ready for the long run and grinned. "All right. Sounds fun."

"On the count of three," said Jin.

"A race?" Hwoarang asked, his grin growing bigger.

"No," Jin said with a chuckle and stared straight ahead of him. He couldn't look at Hwoarang. Every time he did, he started to have weird thoughts about the Korean, thoughts and urges he shouldn't have about another male. "Okay. ONE, TWO, THREE, GO!"

The fighters started off side by side, shoulder to shoulder at first, but after several moments, Hwoarang picked up the pace and ran past Jin, moving into the lead. Jin's eyes widened as he watched his rival take the lead, running ahead of him. The Blood Talon's deadly legs took long, hard strides, carrying him away. Jin wasn't too surprised that Hwoarang was faster than he was; he just hadn't expected him to move ahead so quickly.

Jin shook his head and quickly pulled himself harder, trying keep up with the Korean. As Jin got right behind his rival, he noticed Hwoarang wasn't pulling himself hard at all. That surprised Jin: he had known Hwoarang was faster than he was, but he hadn't thought it would be by that much. Now, it was clear that it was by a lot. Jin's eyes quickly moved to the Blood Talon's legs, watching the deadly "weapons" move with grace as the Korean ran. Jin's dark brown eyes watched each curve of Hwoarang's lower body move as he ran. His eyes slowly glided up from Hwoarang's legs to his bottom. _What am I doing? It is wrong of me to look at him like that!_

Jin then quickly closed his eyes, forcing himself to look away from his rival's lower backside. As he opened his eyes again, he forced himself to look at Hwoarang's back, staring at the Korean symbol that was painted on his dobok uniform right above the name. Not knowing much Korean, Jin wondered if it was Hwoarang's real name or perhaps something else? He made a mental note to ask the Korean one day.

Jin's eyes were then caught by the Blood Talon's crimson brown orbs as Hwoarang was now looking back at him, a smirk planted on his lips. "What's wrong, Kazama? You can't keep up?" he asked, unable to stop himself from laughing before pulling himself even further away.

_Is he always running from something?_ Jin thought to himself as he pushed himself a bit further, keeping his eyes on his rival's back. **_He's running from you,_** came the same voice from the back of his mind, and his eyes widened again. He quickly shook his head, only to notice that Hwoarang was even further ahead of him now, further away…. Jin didn't like the thought of Hwoarang being too far away from him. Jin quickly pushed himself even further, moving as fast as he could. But no matter what he did, he still could not catch up to Hwoarang.

Sighing, Jin didn't try and pull himself even further, knowing that he couldn't. Instead, he kept his eyes locked onto the Blood Talon's back, watching his deadly legs move in a fast but graceful manner. "He has a great balance…," Jin said to himself, a smile forming onto his lips as he continued to run after the Korean.

After ten minutes of running, Hwoarang fell to his knees in the back of the house where they had started. Having finished his laps, he quickly moved onto his bottom and lay onto his back. When Jin finally caught up, he quickly landed on the ground next to the Korean. Both men panted and sweated and neither of them was able to speak.

"Da-damn!" Hwoarang managed to say, panting heavily as he slowly sat up. "I ha-haven't -pant- ran that fast -pant- in a long-ass time!" he said with a bit of a cough, letting his head fall back as he leaned onto the palms of his hands.

Jin swallowed hard as he listened to the Blood Talon and smiled. "I -pant- I usually do -pant- do this every day. -pant- Just not as fast…."

Hwoarang let out a small laugh and stared over at his rival. "Am I that fast, Kazama?"

Jin nodded. "You are definitely faster than I thought."

Hwoarang's eyes widened and he let out a whistle. "And here I thought we were around the same speed."

Jin shook his head and pushed himself up to his feet, wincing at the slight cramp in his thigh, holding it tightly. "I always knew you were faster, but I was surprised at how fast," he said, breathing slightly heavily again due to the cramp.

Hwoarang shook his head and stood up beside the Japanese smiling. "You pushed yourself too hard."

Jin stared at him with a confused look.

"That's why you have the cramp. You pushed yourself too hard," Hwoarang repeated and grabbed a hold of Jin's side where the cramp was and started pushing at it.

Jin's eyes widened at the sudden grab, and he let out a small yelp. Jin then felt the Blood Talon push him gently to the ground.

"Stay still, damn it!" Hwoarang commanded as he knelt down beside his rival, pushing harder on his side.

A spark of heat ran through both their bodies, both felt it, and both knew it was there, but neither of them said a word. Hwoarang tried to ignore the odd feeling and the urges as he continued to rub hard but gently at the aching spot on Jin's side. He stared straight into Jin's brown orbs, their eyes connecting. He knew well what it was he was feeling, but it was obvious that Kazama was confused.

Hwoarang wondering if it was just the massage. But deep in his mind, he knew it was an attraction between the two, and Jin was feeling it too. Then, after a long moment, Hwoarang couldn't take the closeness anymore, the urges getting too strong. He quickly let go of Jin and stood to his feet. "There…," he said in a low voice and looked away.

Jin lay on the ground for a moment a bit shocked but relieved that the pain was gone. Slowly, he sat up watching Hwoarang take a single cigarette out of his headband along with a lighter. Jin's eyes trailed to the flames as the lighter sparked the cigarette. The small dancing flame on it was nothing compared to the sudden flame he felt deep inside of him. The Japanese couldn't take his mind off of the beautiful Korean before him. At the same time, he knew it was wrong and he had to stop.

Sighing softly, Jin shoved a hand through his tousled hair and smiled. "Thank you…," he said, keeping his eyes away from the redhead but speaking directly to him at the same time.

Hwoarang nodded and let out a long drag of smoke from his lips, blowing it into the air. He then turned to Jin and spoke, "You do the running every day, and get the cramp? Weird, Kazama." He chuckled.

"As I said before, I usually don't run that fast…," Jin said, watching Hwoarang let out a ball of smoke from his lips.

"Tomorrow, don't do it again," Hwoarang said with a laugh, pushing some falling strands of red hair away from his face. He watched as Jin cracked his neck several times and then he dropped his cigarette to the ground and stepped on it. "So, now what, Kazama?"

Jin looked up and smiled at the redhead. "Well, when you are ready, we can head up to the gym and do some weight-lifting to help prepare our muscles for the dojo workout later on," he said as he watched the Korean fix his headband before quickly looking away.

"All right. Lead the way."

Hwoarang and Jin quickly made their way down to the side of the house and entered the gym. Jin turned the lights on and watched Hwoarang take a look around. A whistle escaped the Blood Talon's lips.

"Damn, Kazama. Is everything your grandfather or family owns fucking huge…?" Hwoarang asked with a slight laugh, his fist resting on his hips.

Jin couldn't help but laugh slightly at Hwoarang's words. It was true that everything seemed big and was probably a lot bigger than anything Hwoarang had seen. He shook his head and stepped past the Korean. "I believe so. Heihachi likes big things… always has," Jin said with a smile, referring to all the expensive things around the large temple.

Hwoarang smiled a mischievous grin as he followed Jin and stopped right behind him. "Well, that explains some things but doesn't explain how he had a son," he said, watching Jin turn around, a blank expression on his face. "Big 'things,' Kazama."

Jin's eyes widened when he realized that Hwoarang's was referring to a sexual term and placed a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes. Then he heard Hwoarang laugh at his own joke.

"Relax. I didn't mean it…. Well… entirely," Hwoarang said and chuckled. "Anyway, let's get to work…."

Jin nodded in agreement and stepped over to the bench press, turning to watch Hwoarang jump up onto the pull-up bar, only to be surprised when he swung his legs over it. He watched as the Korean let his upper body fall, wondering what he was doing. Jin watched for a moment as Hwoarang slid off his dobok shirt, dropping it to the floor, before starting some crunches.

Jin couldn't take his eyes off the Blood Talon as he watched each of his muscles move and bend. It amazed him how flexible the Korean was. _What am I doing? I shouldn't be watching him like this! He is my rival and partner…,_ Jin thought, shaking his head before getting on the bench press and starting his workout. But you want to, said the devil. "No," Jin said to himself, but it was obvious the Blood Talon heard him.

"No… 20... what?... 21," Hwoarang said as he counted between words.

Jin panicked and added a bit more weight to the bench press. "It wasn't set right...," he said, which wasn't a lie: the weights were under his normal pound.

"Twenty-six... oh….27..., well, stop…28 talking to…29.…yourself…30, Kazama!" Hwoarang said in heavy breathing as he continued to do his crunches.

Jin didn't respond to the Blood Talon as he slowly started to lift the heavy weights over his chest and back down again. Jin tried hard to ignore his last few thoughts about Hwoarang and tried to concentrate on his work out, and the long day ahead of him.

As Steve left the bathroom, he bumped into Hwoarang on his way back to the dojo. Hwoarang had just emerged from his own bathroom and smirked at seeing Steve.

The Korean couldn't help but stare at the British boxer. His crimson brown eyes lingered on Steve's sweaty body, as he licked his lips lightly. "Hey, Foxy Steve. How's the workout?" Hwoarang asked as he leaned away from the doorframe and walked further into the hallway, a smile on his face.

Steve returned the smile and stood straight. "Doing well. How about you?" he asked, the two staring eye to eye.

"Doing swell. Heading back down now to give Jin a spar. Do anything 'fun' with Chaolan yet?" the Korean asked, a mischievous grin appearing on his lips.

Steve smiled and let out a soft chuckle, knowing what Hwoarang had meant by the word 'fun.' He shook his head. "Naw, I think Lee is too old… and oddly familiar."

Hwoarang let out a soft laugh. "Familiar, huh?"

"Yeah, can't explain it…" Steve said with a grin, gently running a hand up the Korean's right arm.

Hwoarang smirked as he moved closer to the British boxer. "I think you're nuts. Familiar. If you want something familiar, then come here," he said, as he moved a hand to the back of Steve's head and pulled him into a hard kiss.

Steve didn't reject the kiss. Their lips met, and his arms draped around Hwoarang's narrow waist, resting on his back. Hwoarang's arms moved around Steve's waist, pushing

him against the wall. He groaned lightly into the kiss as he felt Hwoarang's tongue forced its way into his mouth. It caused the Brittish man to moan, and he pushed Hwoarang hard, slamming him into the opposite wall.

The kiss was hot and addicting and it felt good; Hwoarang couldn't deny that. The attraction between the two of them was clearly still there. The flame was still hot, but something felt odd to him. He wanted more of Steve, but, at the same time, it didn't feel right. It felt odd but good. It was causing the Korean to go crazy as he held tightly onto Steve's back. He felt as his own pants started to tighten and felt Steve's bulge move hard against him. Their crotches rubbed hard together in a slow rhythm.

But no matter how much Hwoarang wanted it, wanted to continue and take the blond right there and then, he had to stop. It was hot and it was good, but it wasn't the same. He felt like there was something missing, and he couldn't explain what it was. The Korean couldn't deny his attraction to the Brit, but he had to.

Quickly pulling Steve off him, Hwoarang took a deep breath. Neither of them was able to speak, their breathing heavy and lips were swollen. Hwoarang then shook his head, pushing his red hair back with his hand. "Sorry…."

Steve stared at the Korean with a confused look, pushing back his own messy blond hair. "Wh- what's wrong?" he asked, forcing himself to stand straight.

Hwoarang swallowed hard and closed his eyes as he leaned away from the wall. "I can't do this. I'm sorry…. I don't want to ruin our friendship…," he said truthfully.

"Ruin…. Hwoa, I like you, and it's clear you like me, too. What's the problem?" Steve asked in a soft voice.

Hwoarang sighed and he rubbed at his forehead. "Steve, I like you, too, yeah, I know. And the attraction between us is hot… but…." Hwoarang didn't know how to finish his sentence. He felt bad, downright horrible. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt the British boxer.

"But what?" Steve said. His eyes narrowed, and he wanted to look anywhere but at the redhead before him.

"It's not… the feeling…. Something's missing, okay? When we first were together… It was better but now… it's different."

Steve closed his eyes and nodded. "So you just want to be friends, then?" he asked, turning back to face Hwoarang.

"Yeah…," Hwoarang said and lowered his head, staring at the floor. "I'm sorry…."

Steve sighed heavily and forced a smile on his lips. He stepped over to the Korean and placed a hand to his shoulder. Crimson brown eyes met his, and his smile grew a bit bigger.

"I understand…. But, if you ever change your mind… or don't find what you're looking for... I'm always here."

Hwoarang smiled. "I know. Now stop getting soft on me…," he said and leaned away from Steve. He then sidestepped him towards the middle of the hallway. "We're cool… right?"

"Yeah," Steve said with a grin.

The two just looked at one another, an awkward situation as it was. Hwoarang rubbed the back of his head and grinned. "Well… if you ever need a good bang…?" he started, trying to break the tension.

Steve couldn't help but laugh at the words even if they did hurt inside. "Yeah, same for you," he said and pushed at the Blood Talon's shoulder. "Get back to Jin. He's probably wondering if ya fell in," he smiled.

"Fell in? You're weird," Hwoarang said and smirked as he waved a hand to the Brit and walked away, leaving Steve alone.

Steve watched as Hwoarang disappeared down the hall before turning to his side and leaning against the wall. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He was hurt and a bit heartbroken. He couldn't deny that he had feelings for the Korean or that he had fallen in love with him a year ago. But what am I to do if he doesn't return my feelings? I can only wish him happiness… or hope he'll come around, Steve thought and wished, at that moment, that he would have had a father figure to talk to.

As Steve got back to the dojo, Lee noticed something was wrong with him and gave him a concerned look. "You all right, Steve?"

Steve swallowed hard as he stared over at Lee and nodded. "Yeah… I'm fine. Let's get back to work, eh, mate? What were we doing…?" Steve said as he kept his eyes away from Lee, his hands fumbling with the tape he had wrapped around his knuckles.

Lee stared at him, tilting his head slightly to the side. "You don't look all right," he said, stepping over to the boxer with his arms over his chest.

"I'm fine, all right?" Steve said with an annoyed look on his face.

Lee's eyes narrowed. If there was one thing the Korean didn't like, it was being talked back to. Lee quickly slapped the British boxer up the side of his head. He went into his hitman stance and motioned Steve to come at him. "You sure aren't acting like you were all right. And you look like you were just given the worst news of your life. So what will it be, talk about it or let me beat it out of you?"

Steve's eyes narrowed but they quickly softened as he sighed heavily, placing his hands to his face and rubbing it gently. In truth, he had been given the worst news of his life. He had just been rejected by someone he had fallen in love with. "Yeah, you can say I got some rotten news," he said and, once again, looked away from Lee, running a hand over his face.

Steve swallowed hard as he kept himself from tearing and he turned towards the wall, staring at the punching bag. Taking a deep breath, Steve quickly started to do jabs with his right and left fist. Each punch hit hard on the bag full of sand. He felt Lee's eyes on him, but he didn't care. He had to shake this feeling of hurt off. He had to concentrate on his punches and away from Hwoarang.

Lee couldn't help but worry about Steve. It was clear that something had happened on his way to the bathroom, and he wondered what it was. Sighing, he stepped over to the boxer and pressed a hand to his shoulder, stopping Steve from his next punch. "Want to talk about it?"

Steve sighed and turned to face Lee. The Korean had noticed the tears welling up in the blond's eyes, and his own light brown hues widened. Steve, however, quickly rubbed at his eyes, and shook his head. "Yeah… all right."

Hwoarang made it back to the dojo in a good amount of time. He was worried about Steve and hoped the Brit was all right. Then, his attention went onto Jin when he noticed the Japanese was practicing some punches and kicks on his own. His legs and arms hit the black punching bag hard. Hwoarang couldn't help but stop and stare, and Steve moved to the back of his mind. He knew he would have to talk to the Brit later, but for now, his mind wouldn't turn away from the sight before him.

It was clearer now why Hwoarang had felt odd with Steve before. It was because he was growing attracted to his rival and possibly developing feelings for him. He was confused, that he knew for a fact, but he couldn't deny that he was attracted to the Japanese beauty before him. He watched the sweat run down Jin's back as he moved. It's going to be hard living here, with two guys I'm attracted to. And one is an old flame… and the other my rival… one I have to spend almost all my time with. What the hell am I going to do? he thought to himself as he continued to watch Jin. His breathing became slightly heavier, and his heart started to pound. _Damn, what am I going to do? I don't want to hurt Steve… but… Jin…. Fuck, no! I'm not going to think of this fucker like that…. He's my rival!_

"All right, Kazama…. Enough showing off. Let's get to that spar, all right?" Hwoarang said and forced a grin on his lips. He watched and nearly laughed when Jin almost fell over, as he spoke.

The Japanese slowly stood up straight and turned around to face him. A smile came to his lips. "If you can keep a cool mind, sure."

"A cool mind? Ha! I'll be sparring with you. That might be difficult, if you know what I mean," the Korean said with a wink, teasing the Japanese.

Jin's eyes widened, and stared Hwoarang, wondering what he meant by his words. "What?"

Hwoarang laughed and shook his head. "Never mind, Kazama. Come on already. I promise I'll hold back," he said as he waited for Jin to come at him.


	7. Airon and Bea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple of friends of Hwoarang make debut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember having first written this fic on notebook paper. I tried to keep a lot of the original elements from the original draft to work. Though I changed a lot of the ideas. I remember Airon being a girl. I don't know if I kept it that way or not though. I'll have to keep reading. It's funny what you forget and remember with old work.

Chapter 7: 

_Airon and Bea_

After a long day of training, Hwoarang and Jin both found themselves tired out and lounging in the family room. Hwoarang was laid out on the couch, one leg over the arm and the other on the floor, with an ice pack sitting just above the right knee. The Blood Talon's head rested lightly on a pillow, while Jin was sitting in the recliner, both legs on the floor, leaning his head back and holding an ice pack to his left shoulder.

"Damn…," the Korean started to say as he slowly sat up, moving his left leg to the floor and taking the ice pack off his leg and placing it to the back of his neck. "Stretching, running, lifting weights, kicking, and punching a punching bag, two spars, AND practicing our dodging…. I must say, I'm tired. Good job, Kazama."

Jin smiled at hearing Hwoarang's words and slowly lifted his head up from the back of the chair, staring over at the Blood Talon. "It was a good day," he said before leaning his head back once again. He then slowly removed the ice pack from his shoulder and placed it against his forehead. "By the end of the week, we'll be way too tired to do anything else."

Hwoarang chuckled and moved his head so he was looking at Kazama from the side. "Yeah, well, it will be worth it. Tired and sore after a week's worth of training, then congratulated by a cold beer, maybe. A bit of fun is always good."

"I hear you there…," Lee said as he walked into the room, followed by Steve, whose head was slightly lowered. The two fighters looked as tired and sore as Jin and Hwoarang were.

Hwoarang slowly moved over to give room for Lee and Steve to sit on the couch. The two held ice packs in their hands, placing them on some parts of their bodies as they sat down. The Blood Talon gave Steve an awkward glance as the British boxer sat next to him, while Steve gave a light grin in return.

"I don't know about you two, but today was a really hard day. I never thought my legs could go that high," Steve said after a moment of silence, rubbing the back of his knee, turning his head at Hwoarang's snickering.

"I don't know, Steve. I thought I've seen your legs go pretty high before…," Hwoarang said and continued to chuckle. He knew it was weird after what had happened upstairs, but he had to show Steve everything was all right, even if the Brit was angry with him.

Steve stared at the Blood Talon before a smile came to his face. He knew what the Korean was trying to do, and he sighed as he chuckled, "No comment, you git."

Hwoarang beamed at the British boxer and let out a low, soft laugh.

Jin couldn't help but watch the Blood Talon and the British boxer share a moment of laughter. A bit of anger and jealousy crept up to the pit of his stomach. Was that an inside joke? Or do they share something… a friendship, perhaps? Nothing more than a friendship, Jin thought to himself, glaring at the two before tearing his eyes away from them, sighing heavily. What is this feeling I am having toward Hwoarang? Why am I so angry with him? Is it because he won't be my friend? the Japanese continued to think to himself before he heard Lee say his name. "What?" he said, looking over at his step-uncle.

"I said, did you and the Blood Talon learn anything new today, Jin?" the silver-haired devil asked, rolling his eyes at the young Kazama.

Jin smirked and closed his eyes once again. "Only how to run…," he said, trying to keep his mind calm.

"Kazama Jin!" Hwoarang shouted, causing Jin to jump and stare at him questioningly. "Did you just make a joke?" Hwoarang asked, a smile forming onto his lips. Jin smiled in return, but he did not respond. He only listened as the Blood Talon let out a chuckle.

"Hwoarang a better runner than you, Jin?" Lee asked, turning to look at the young Kazama once again.

"Faster," Jin said calmly, keeping his eyes open as he watched the group of fighters sit on the couch.

"I'll say," Hwoarang snorted, removing the headband from his forehead. Long strands of hair slowly fell loose as the small clothing was removed. He gently pushed them back with his fingers.

"So, you didn't learn anything new?" Lee asked with disappointment in his voice.

"We talked about it and decided to wait for next week to learn things. Let this week be a warm-up for our bodies to prepare them for new things," Jin said calmly.

"That sounds like a good idea," Steve said, stretching out his long legs, letting his knees crack. "Damn, that feels good," he said with a sigh.

Hwoarang watched the boxer and grinned, sliding a hand up his thigh. "That's because you're tight…," he said in a whisper, letting a laugh escape his lips. Steve was about to reply when Lee caught his attention. Hwoarang's hand quickly left Steve's thigh.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow. Right now, I'm too tired to think about training," Lee said with a groan as he rubbed at his sore leg.

"Holy shit!" Hwoarang suddenly blurted out, causing everyone to jump and stare at him.

"What?" Jin asked, sitting up straight. He stared right at the Korean.

"I'm hungry…," Hwoarang said, rubbing his stomach and groaning, "When do we eat!?"

Steve laughed, and Lee rolled his eyes.

"Of course…," the silver-haired devil said with a small chuckle.

Jin simply smiled at the Korean and let out a soft chuckle. "We can eat now. It is true that we skipped lunch…," Jin said. As he pushed himself out of the chair, he helped Hwoarang stand up as well.

"Gah, I think after I eat, I'm going to bed…," Hwoarang said with a groan. Nearly losing his balance, he quickly caught a hold of Jin's shoulder. "Damn, Kazama, the last time my legs hurt like this… was… I don't remember," he lied and closed his eyes from the secret memory. He then gently pushed himself away from Jin and slowly walked to the kitchen.

As Jin helped the Korean stand straight again, he noticed a hint of sadness in his eyes. The look quickly vanished, though, as Hwoarang leaned away from him and left for the kitchen. Jin stared after him, wondering what the Korean was thinking about. Perhaps he was hurt in his past? Or maybe… something else is bothering him, Jin thought to himself as he started to follow Hwoarang, only to be stopped by Lee, who grabbed his arm gently.

"Damn, Jin. What did you do to the boy besides made him run?" Lee asked.

"Kick the punching bag one hundred times with each leg. The only hassle was getting a new punching bag every few minutes," Jin said with a smile as the three began to walk into the kitchen.

"Deadly legs of steel…," Steve said with a chuckle and then sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his blond hair, a frown forming on his lips. Lee noticed the frown and easily put two and two together.

As the three guys made their way into the kitchen, they noticed Hwoarang searching the cabinets for some kind of food. "This place has everything but food!"

"Relax and sit, Hwoarang. We'll just order. Then, tomorrow, we'll eat at a decent time, before the cook leaves," Lee said, calmly taking out his cell phone from his pocket.

"Cook? You got to be fucking kidding me. Are you saying you two don't even know how to cook besides in fighting?" the Blood Talon said as he took a seat next to Jin and across from Steve.

"Hey, what can I say? Heihachi never cooked, and there never was a woman present, so we were never taught…. Well, Jun might've taught Jin some things before she died, though I doubt he knows how to cook a decent meal," Lee said with a sigh before ordering a few trays of pizza.

"Shit, sorry," Hwoarang said as he got up, getting himself a root beer. "I guess growing up on the streets, though, you had to learn, right?" he said with a chuckle and sat back down, opening his root beer.

Jin watched him for a moment before tearing his eyes off him. He couldn't help but feel bad for Hwoarang. He appeared to have lived a hard life growing up, and Jin wondered if that was the cause for his behavior. He wanted to ask more of the redhead's story, but he knew better. Jin knew it would only start a fight between them, and he didn't want that. He was glad that they were on good enough terms.

"My stepmum taught me how to cook, growing up," Steve said as he grabbed himself a coke and leaned against the counter.

"Really, now? Hmmm, maybe that does explain some things…," Hwoarang said with a laugh.

Steve gave him an odd look before shaking his head and sitting back down. "Only you, Blood Talon…."

Thirty Minutes Later:

After the guys had finished their pizza, Lee and Steve didn't hesitate to go to bed. Hwoarang stayed in the kitchen, staring at the table and holding onto the empty can of root beer. Jin had just finished cleaning up some of the mess and washing his hands when he turned to the Korean.

"I'm going to bed. You should, as well. We have another long day ahead of us tomorrow…," Kazama said, heading to the door, turning to Hwoarang, who hadn't said a word, not even as asshole remark. "Doo San?" Jin said, softly walking over to the Blood Talon and staring down at the redhead before him. Is he asleep? Jin asked himself and, with hesitation, touched the Korean's shoulder lightly. "Doo San," he said again and shook Hwoarang's shoulder lightly.

"I'm not Doo San …," Hwoarang mumbled, his crimson brown eyes slowly flicking open. He stared up at the Japanese. "Kazama?"

Jin gave Hwoarang a questioning look. Doo San is only his master's name, then?

Shivers ran up Hwoarang's spine when he felt Jin's gentle touch to his neck. He blinked a few times, but shook the sudden feeling away. Sitting up straight, Hwoarang brought a hand to his mouth, trying to stifle a yawn, and then he nodded. "Yeah, maybe I should," he said as he stood to his feet. He tossed the can into the trash and then turned to the Japanese beauty before him. He smiled and rubbed Jin's right shoulder before walking away. Waving a hand over his shoulder, Hwoarang bid good night and disappeared.

Jin watched the Korean leave the room with a puzzled look on his face. He had no idea what had just happened, and it left him in confusion. Was he just being nice? It wasn't that Jin was shocked that Hwoarang could be nice. He was more shocked that Hwoarang had been nice to him. No argumentand no rude comment.

Even so, Jin couldn't help smiling. He was really hoping the Blood Talon was starting to come around, that Hwoarang was starting to see him as more than a rival. That he would see him as a person and… as a friend. Sighing softly, Jin walked out of the room, turning the lights off on his way out.

Two weeks passed, and the training started to gettenser. Each night on their training days, all four fighters would crawl into bed sore and dead tired. And each night, the guys spent thirty minutes together talking of their training and how the day had gone. Jin noticed that Steve and Hwoarang would flirt off and on. At the same time, the Blood Talon ignored Steve's requests of going to a bar with him. Then, on other days, the two would emerge from the same room together either angry or in a very good mood.

When Jin would ask either of them what was going on, Hwoarang would simply put it as, "It's nun of your business," or "Fuck off, Kazama." Steve, however, mentioned he liked the Blood Talon and that he was more into guys than he was girls. Even so, Jin couldn't believe Hwoarang was that type of guy. He had often seen Hwoarang with a girl hooked to his side at bars and clubs. So, it utterly confused him what was between the two fighters.

Jin just didn't understand it. The Korean was a bigger mystery than the other two fighters in the house, and he couldn't help but wonder why the Blood Talon stood so hidden. If he was with Steve, why did he have to hide it? Why did it make him so angry to even think about it? It hurt Jin to see the blond and the redhead flirt often, and he didn't understand why. Was he jealous of the two? Did he perhaps want to be with Hwoarang? Am I not good enough for him? Why can't he see me the way he sees Steve? Jin asked himself a number of times, only to shake his head and think his thoughts were wrong. But either way, Jin couldn't help but wonder what was on the young Korean's mind.

Hwoarang had some of the biggest secrets in the house, and Jin wanted to crack him open. Jin knew that was going to be impossible. It also didn't help much that the Korean would run off at each chance he got, either when Jin was at school or on their nights off. Those days, Hwoarang would often get himself into some sort of trouble either at a local bar or clubs. Sometimes, it was when he was hanging with his gang. But crazy and stupid though the Blood Talon could get and despite being a handful, Jin was glad Hwoarang was on speaking terms with him and not trying to get into a fight every chance he got.

Now it was almost the third week of training. Considering it was their day off, Jin and Steve were the only ones home. Both fighters were in the living room. Steve was enjoying a movie that was on TV, and Jin was sitting on the floor at the coffee table, going over a few notes for school. It was the best time for Jin to study, as Hwoarang was out again doing something with his gang, and Lee was gone with his own company doing some work that needed to be done.

"Hey, Jin," Steve started as he turned down the TV and stared at the Japanese. "When does the tournament officially start?"

Jin took off his reading glasses and turned his attention to the British boxer, smiling. "In a few more weeks. We should be getting a notice in the mail of whereand when the opening ceremony is held. Then, that night, a notice will be put on the board of each match. It will be just like the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4, but instead of looking just for our names, it will be your and your partner's name. In your case, Lee."

Steve nodded and turned the volume back up and sat comfortably on the couch. "All right, then," he said and focused fully on the television.

Jin noddedand placed his glasses back onto his nose, but before he could go back to his work, there was something else on his mind. "Hey, Steve…?"

Steve's coral blue eyes turned from the television and back to Jin. Again, he turned the volume down to hear what Jin wanted. "Yea?"

Jin sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't know how to ask the British boxer what was on his mind, but if he didn't, he knew it was going to bother him for the rest of the tournament. "This may seem weird, but I, err… have to know," he started and once again removed the glasses from his face and placed them on the table.

Steve stared at Jin, wondering what was on the Japanese's mind. He slowly sat up and grinned. "Spit it out, Jin. We're friends here."

Jin sighed and nodded as he forced himself to look up at the British boxer. "Are you… are you and Hwoarang seeing each other?" he asked, swallowing hard. He watched as Steve's eyes widened, and then a smile broke onto his face.

"No. I like the Korean, but no. I don't think he… swings that way," Steve said, telling the half truth. The British boxer couldn't tell Jin that Hwoarang was, indeed, bisexual. He knew the Korean wouldn't like that or speak to him afterwards. He knew there was some story behind why Hwoarang kept that part of his life such a so hidden. But he couldn't lie that he had feelings for the Korean. It was obvious and even Lee had figured it out.

Sighing, Steve chuckled and sat back on the couch. It was true he wished he and Hwoarang were together like that, but he knew Hwoarang had other interests. He was just glad they were friends, friends with some benefits, at that, though Jin didn't need to know that. That led him to ask, "Why?"

Jin blushed slightly and stared back at the table He stood quiet for a moment as he folded his hands together, letting his thumbs rub against one another. "Well, I often see you two… flirt and, well, be kind of close. I was just wondering, I guess. He never gives me an answer…."

Steve's eyes widened, and he let out a laugh. "Jin, Hwoarang wouldn't answer a question like that even if he would die if he didn't. I don't know what the Korean is thinking when he flirts. I sometimes think he doesn't realize. Hell, maybe he does go both ways. But trust me, Hwoarang made it clear to me he just wants to be friends. So, I have to respect that. Let him be happy with whoever he chooses to be with, if he ever finds someone." Steve shook his head and stared at Jin.

Either he has feelings for Hwoarang or for me. That or he caught the two of us in an act, Steve thought to himself and chuckled again. "Jin, mate, if I were you, I would let the Blood Talon come to you when he's ready to talk. He's a pretty enclosed guy. I've been friends with him a year and know only so much. I still don't know his real name or much of his past. Favorite color, kind of drink I can tell you, but only small things like that."

Jin smiledand nodded. "I figured that out. Thanks, though…. I was just wondering. I found it odd… when I heard Hwoarang call you sexy Foxy the other day in the hall…," Jin said with a grin.

So he did catch us…? Steve laughed and clapped his hands together. "That fucker called me that to be a dickhead. No meaning to it," Steve half lied again.

Jin smiled and nodded. He let out a soft sigh and chuckled with Steve. He couldn't help but feel a bit relieved, and he decided to go back to his studying. Everything then got quiet between them. Steve returned to his TV program, and Jin to his studies. Then, as everything seemed to be fine and quiet, there was a loud bang from the front door, and, without hesitation, the two fighters jumped to their feet and ran down the hall to the main entrance.

Both Steve and Jin were shocked at what they saw: Hwoarang being carried in by two men neither of them knew. One was atall Korean, about Hwoarang's age and height, with a dyed dirty blond hair and soft brown eyes. He was holding Hwoarang by the right shoulder, trying to hold him up. On Hwoarang's other side was a much shorter boy. He was about the same age as the taller one, but he couldn't be taller than Xiaoyu herself, and he looked American. He had a short brown hair. His eyes were covered by bangs, and Jin could just make out they were green. There was a visible scar on his lower cheek. What struck Jin as odd was the thick black leather glove covering his left hand.

"THAT GIRL HAS A FUCKING- A FUCKING MOUTH!" Hwoarang blurted out angrily, swimming around in the guys' grasp. "Let me go back and staple it shut! SHE HAS TO FUCKING MIND HER BUSINESS!" It was obvious the Blood Talon was drunk.

"What happened?" Jin asked as he and Steve helped the two guys carry Hwoarang into the temple. Steve quickly closed the door behind them.

"Someone called him a fag. Not a good thing for the Blood Talon," the taller man said as he kept Hwoarang at bay. "Can't blame him. I wouldn't like to be called a fag myself, but Hwoarang has real issues with it all. So, naturally, it went overboard."

"Yeah, and then some girl made it worse," the shorter boy said as he struggled to stand from the heavy weight on his shoulder.

"It's ALL THAT GIRL'S FAULT! She had to fucking come over to me and fucking ask me if I was gay…. THERE'S A FUCKING DIFFERENCE! Let me go! I need to fucking kill that motherfucker!" Hwoarang said angrily.

Jin didn't hesitate to help the shorter guy take a hold of Hwoarang. He quickly moved to his back to try and restrain him. "Calm down, Hwoarang!"

"So, who are you two?" Steve asked, moving away from the door and helping Jin.

"Is it really a time for that…?" the shorter man asked with an annoyed look on his face.

"I'm Bea; that there is Airon. Hwoarang, man, buddy… relax, it's over…," the taller guy, Bea, introduced himself and pulled the Blood Talon upright.

"I said let me-" Hwoarang started, sending a back kick at Airon and then another one at Jin. "GO!" he shouted, pulling himself away from Steve and Bea.

Bea watched as Jin went flying back into Steve. They were both knocked to the floor, and Airon to the side. "Shit!" Bea cried and went to help the two fighters up.

Jin quickly jumped up after the fall and turned to Airon. "Watch out!" he shouted to Airon.

As Hwoarang went for another kick he was stopped by Airon, who quickly dodged it by grabbing Hwoarang's deadly leg with his left hand. He then squeezed hard at the Korean's ankle. "Calm down, Hwoarang," Airon said and tripped Hwoarang to the floor. "See, when he's drunk, it's easy," he added with a smirk and watched as Bea stepped on the Blood Talon's head.

"We do this all the time, but usually, it's Rally and Joe that get kicked," Bea said with a chuckle and watched as Airon sat on the Blood Talon's legs.

The four men could hear muffled and angry groans from the redhead, as his face was smooched to the floor, his arms moving, as he tried to get up. Jin quickly took a hold of Hwoarang's wrists, sitting on his back. "Calm down," he said calmly and closed his eyes.

"Smart move," Airon and Steve said at the same time and then turned to see Lee walking in through the door, looking utterly confused.

"What the hell?" he asked and then placed a hand to his forehead. "Who are they sitting on?" Lee asked as he turned to Steve.

"Hwoarang," Steve answered, a smirk on his face.

Lee laughedand shook his head. "Go figure. Have fun with that," he said and stepped out of the room.

"You're not going to help?" Steve asked as he watched the Blood Talon twitch on the floor and wince when Jin pinched at the skin of his wrist.

"Nope. Have fun," Lee called out from the hallway.

It took a little more than five minutes for the Blood Talon to calm. Bea stepped off his head, and Jin and Airon got off as well. Once Hwoarang was released, he rolled over onto his back and sat up, tucking his legs under him in Indian style. "Jin, your fucking girlfriend, Ling, I guess her name is, has a fucking mouth that needs to be stapled shut."

Jin blinked several times. His folded his arms over his chest, as he heard Xiaoyu's name. "She isn't my girlfriend," hesaid and sighed. "But what did she do?"

Hwoarang sighed heavily. He was too drunk, and his mind was too foggy to remember everything, but his mind clicked to Jin's words."Not your girlfriend, huh? Interesting…," he saidand licked his lips, stretching out his legs before he stood up. Hwoarang noticed Steve gave a questioning look at him and then back at Jin, but Steve stood quietly, as he spoke. "I don't know. She came up to me, talking to me, asking me if I was Hwoarang. I told I was. I am…. She called my hair fake or whatever and you know… it's not…. I never dyed it once… not once. Ask Bea, he knows…. Anyway… she all goes up to me. I was talking to someone…," the Blood Talon said, swaying back and forth as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and placed it to his lips. Then tried to light it but realized he had misplaced his lighter.

"That's not going to work…." Jin shook his head and took the cigarette from Hwoarang's mouth and held onto it. "Continue," he said getting angry at the Korean.

"R-right. Anyway. I was talking to someone…. A guy. So, she comes and asks me if I'm gay! As if it's her business! That's… that's…. She's rude! So, of course, this other guy calls me a faggot! You know, thinking I was, because of her mouth!" Hwoarang said, looking around. "Where… where's my cigarette…? Kazama! If you wanted to…. You know you have to ask," he said as he noticed the USA gold in Jin's hand.

Jin shook his head and handed the cigarette back to Hwoarang with a sigh. He knew Hwoarang was telling the truth, but there had to be more to the story. It didn't sound like Xiaoyu to just go and ask someone if they were gay or anything like that. He would have to talk to his good friend sometime, but for now, he knew he had to get his partner to sober up.

Hwoarang put his cigarette behind his ear and then stared at Steve. "You! I'M SORRY! OK?!" he said and turned on his heel, nearly falling over. Bea and Jin took a hold of him and stood him up straight. Hwoarang blinking before looking at Bea and then at Jin.

"Kazama! I'll take you on! I'll take you on right here and right now!"

"No. There is no reason to fight," Jin said and felt a sudden familiarity and knew he had said those words many times to the redhead.

"Damn, he needs a shower," Bea said, picking Hwoarang up onto his feet.

"You stink!" Hwoarang said as he started walking down the hall, hitting the wall on his way. Jin caught him before he fell. "Kazama… you… you… look… look… different…," he said, facing the wall. " Ugly… and… wait…?" He then turned to the floor as Bea and Jin pulled him to the stairs.

Steve and Airon quickly ran in front of the two Koreans and the Japanese to keep the Blood Talon from falling over. "Damn, what did he drink?" Steve asked, pushing Hwoarang forward.

"Jijibutsubutsu," Airon said in Japanese.

"What?" said Steve, not understanding as he nearly tripped over his own feet.

"Everything," Jin said in English.

"Jin… you got fucking… short," Hwoarang said to Airon, and Airon turned the Blood Talon to face the real Jin. "Yeppoyo…. Let's fight now!" he said, calling Jin beautiful in Korean in a demanding tone.

Jin closed his eyes and shook his head before bringing a hand to the Korean's neck and pushing at his pressure point, knocking him out. He watched as the Korean beauty went limp and he took hold of him before he fell over.

Steve's eyes widened, and he laughed. "Damn, Jin. You didn't need to do that," he said and watched as the Japanese threw Hwoarang over his shoulder.

"I know, but it was getting annoying," Jin said with a sigh as he heaved Hwoarang up the stairs, the rest of the guys following him. Why does he have to get himself in so much trouble all the time? Jin thought to himself as he gently carried Hwoarang into his room. Another mystery….


	8. Nick and Corey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some new competition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I was saying in my previous chapter, I had other ideas originally? Yeah, I had bigger ideas for these OCs. They were supposed to be bigger parts as the story as a whole was somewhat different. However, I decided to go with the main four fighters and changed a lot. Like I said this story went through hell and back until I was happy with it. It's kind of funny too, because I may still have some of the original notebooks for this story stored away somewhere.

Chapter 8

_Nick and Corey_

The next day, Hwoarang awoke with a splitting headache. He didn't remember much of the previous night, only that he had gotten into a fight at the bar, and Ling had been there, calling him gay. He shook his head slowly and looked around his room. He was still dressed in the clothes from the day before. How he had gotten back to his room, he had no idea, but he didn't care either way. One thing was for certain: he was going to have trouble training this morning.

With a heavy groan, Hwoarang got out of bed, rubbing the back of his head softly. He needed a shower badly. Hwoarang made his way to his bathroom and started the hot water to the shower. He easily removed the tight shirt from his body and stared at his reflection in the mirror. "Damn…," he said with a groan before turning around toward the shower and removing the rest of his clothes and stepping in.

The hot water ran down his neck and back. The redhead tilted his head back slowly, letting the water hit his face, as he stared at the ceiling. He closed his eyes as he tried to think of the night's events. _What the hell happened last night?_ he thought to himself. _That damn girl saw me flirting with that guy at the bar…. That's what happened, she opened her loudmouth. Then that bastard at the pool table called me a fag…. A fag._

Hwoarang's eyes shot open as he felt a sudden sadness well up inside of him and quickly turn into anger. He spun around, punching at the faucet, only to cut his hand in the process. "Fuck! Nice one, Blood Talon…!" he cursed as he watched the blood drip down his knuckles and disappear into the water.

After ten minutes in the shower, Hwoarang wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped into the bedroom. His right hand was still bleeding, but he paid no attention to it. A sudden knock then came to his bedroom door. Sighing heavily, Hwoarang answered the door quickly and leaned against the doorframe, surprised to see Jin standing there, dressed in his school uniform.

Jin's eyes widened when he caught glimpse of Hwoarang standing there with nothing but a towel on, his red hair dripping wet. He couldn't help but take in a good look of Hwoarang's figure before looking toward the floor. "How are you feeling?" he asked in a low voice.

"Like a fucking truck hit me in the head twelve times. Is that head medicine?" Hwoarang asked, staring at the cup of water and two pills in Jin's hand.

"Oh, yes…," Jin said, handing the pills to the other man, only to notice the cut on his hand. "What happened?"

Hwoarang raised an eyebrow as he stared at Jin and then at his hand. He took the glass of water and swallowed the pills before answering. "Cut myself on the damn faucet in the shower," he said and stepped into the room, leaving the door open.

Jin followed him. "You should get that bandaged," he said, watching Hwoarang grab a cigarette.

"Relax, Kazama. It won't stop me from training. I'll get it fixed," he said as he sparked a cigarette, taking in a deep drag.

Jin shook his head and stepped into the bathroom, taking a first-aid kit out of the cabinet. He stepped back into the room and placed the box on the bed. He took out some antiseptic and bandages. "Give me your hand," he demanded as he stared at the Korean.

"Hell, no," Hwoarang said with narrowed eyes, taking another drag of his cigarette. "I told you I'd take care of it."

Jin shook his head; he did not have the time to argue. He took Hwoarang's hand forcefully, ignoring his cursing. "It's bleeding; it needs to be cleaned," he said and started to clean the cut with a cotton ball. Jin was angry with Hwoarang from last night's events and for being so stubborn now. He was going to be late for his morning class if he didn't hurry. But despite it all, the sudden warm feeling he had from holding Hwoarang's hand in his scared him. His hands started to tremble and he started to rush. Once he was finished placing the last piece of white tape over the bandage, he quickly moved away from Hwoarang.

"Fuck you, Kazama," Hwoarang said as he stared at his hand for a moment before making a fist and then placing his hand on his hip. "You got school?" he asked, noticing Jin's uniform.

"Yes. I'll be back within an hour or so. I wanted to make sure you were up and all right before I left," said Jin, trying to hide the anger in his voice.

Hwoarang noticed the anger in Jin's tone, but he didn't say anything of it. He knew it was because of him and he didn't care. Hwoarang flicked out a long ash into the ashtray and then took the cigarette to his lips. "Didn't know you cared, Kazama. Well, hell, why not, right? Fuck off, Jin. I don't need your help. It's clear you don't want to help me, anyway, so why bother?" Hwoarang spoke in a cocky tone. His crimson orbs stared right at Jin.

Jin stared back at Hwoarang, feeling like he was looking right into his soul. Jin quickly looked away and turned his back on the redhead. He couldn't help but hate Hwoarang's words. Why does he push away so much? he thought to himself as he stepped toward the door. _Why doesn't he let anyone help him?_ "See you at lunch," Jin said and closed the door behind him, letting Hwoarang be by himself.

Later that morning, after Hwoarang had dressed and eaten breakfast, he lingered in the kitchen alone. Lee and Steve had gone to start their training. Hwoarang was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a glass of orange juice and staring at his bandaged hand. He slowly formed his fingers into a small fist before opening his hand again. He watched as the blood oozed on the inside of the bandage.

"Damn, Kazama, you piss me off…," he said to himself and sighed heavily. Hwoarang then cursed the thought of Jin lingering on in his mind. Making himself angry again, he punched the table hard with his wounded hand. Hissing in pain, he cursed in Korean, his eyes closing. "Not smart, Blood Talon!" he shouted and leaned back into the chair, holding his right hand.

Hwoarang closed his eyes and let the pain pass as he continued to lean on the chair. The chair tipped back a few times, as Hwoarang tilted his head backwards so that he was staring at the ceiling. Why does he piss me off so damn much? Hwoarang thought to himself. And why do I care? It's Kazama, my rival… not a friend…. "Or is he?" Hwoarang said and sighed heavily in frustration with himself.

Just then, the kitchen phone rang and Hwoarang fell backwards on the chair, smacking his head on the ground. "Son of a bitch!" he cursed, standing to his feet and kicking the chair to the side. The phone rang again, and Hwoarang stared at it for a moment. He let it ring once more before picking up the receiver. "Speak to me."

"Hwoarang, it's Master Baek," came the Tae Kwon Do master's voice over the other side.

"Master? What's up?" Hwoarang asked, wondering if he was in some sort of trouble for his master to be calling so early.

"Not much, Hwoarang. How are you?" the older Korean asked in a calm voice.

"I'm fine, you?" Hwoarang asked as he leaned against the counter, folding one arm over his chest.

"I'm well. Listen, Hwoarang, I would like it if you would come over to the temple today. I need to speak with you. Bring Jin along as well," Baek said, getting right to the point.

Hwoarang didn't say anything for a moment, wondering what his master could possibly want. "Why can't you tell me now?"

"Because I need to speak with you and Jin together. It's important, so I would like you two to come as soon as you can," Baek said in a lower tone of voice.

Hwoarang sighed and knew he had to listen to his master and obey his request. "All right, master. I'll go get Jin from school and meet you at your place in thirty minutes."

"All right, see you then," Baek said and hung up the phone as Hwoarang did the same.

The Blood Talon stood there for a moment as he thought about the phone call with his master. He wondered what it could be his master had to say to him and Kazama and why he needed them both. Why did it give him an odd feeling about this? Shrugging it off, Hwoarang stepped out of the kitchen and down the hall and out of the front door.

"Now, won't Kazama have a lovely surprise after school," Hwoarang said with a smirk as he removed his bike key from the chain around his neck, hopped on his "beast," and rode off.

Jin walked slowly out of the school, books under his arms, reading a textbook. His first class had just ended, and he had only two hours before his next two classes. The Japanese made it out of the school and out into the schoolyard. As he was heading for the school gate, someone grabbed a hold of his arm.

"Excuse me, you're Kazama Jin… right?" came a male voice from behind.

Jin's eyes widened and he turned around to see two boys, identical twins by the looks of it, around his age. The boys had dark brown hair and light brown eyes. They were a bit shorter than Jin, but only by a few inches, and they stood side by side with smiles on their faces. "Yes, I am Kazama Jin. What do you need?"

The twins smiled at each other, and the one on the right who had gotten Jin's attention spoke up. "I'm Nick, and this is my brother, Corey. You're in the tournament, right? The Tag one?" he asked, as the other one, Corey, took out a red notebook and began writing in it.

Jin didn't know what these two were doing. He knew they were in one of his classes, but the two didn't seem the type interested in a fighting tournament. "Yes, I am. Why?"

Nick smiled and stared at Corey, who stopped his writing. "Because we are, too," Corey started.

"And we're trying to get all the names of the fighters and their team members in this year's tournament," Nick finished with a grin.

"Along with a bit of information as well," Corey added.

Jin was a bit puzzled by the twins. These two are fighters? he thought to himself, a cocky grin forming onto his face but quickly disappearing, as he did not want to offend the twins. Don't underestimate them. They are stronger than they look. Powerful beings, said the devil within Jin's mind. "All right…. What is it you want to know?" Jin asked calmly.

"Well, are you really related to Heihachi Mishima?" Nick asked with a grin, as Corey darted down more notes.

"Yes…. He is my grandfather," Jin answered, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Hmm, awesome. Okay, and your father is Kazuya Mishima?" asked Corey.

"Yes, everyone knows that…," Jin said with a sigh, wishing these guys would ask more about his fighting style than his personal life.

"Right…. Now for more important questions," started Nick.

"Your partner, what is his name?" Corey finished.

Jin sighed in a bit of relief. "His name is Hwoarang." Jin was awkward and watched as Corey stopped his writing. The two stared at him, the looks on their faces cold and serious.

"The Blood Talon," said Nick.

"The Korean?" asked Corey.

"Yes. That's him," Jin answered calmly.

The twins smiled at each another once again, and Corey started to write once more. Their looks turned from cold to excited. "His fighting style is Tae Kwon Do, right?"

"And his master is Baek Doo San?" asked Nicky.

Jin raised a brow. The twins seemed to be more interested in the Blood Talon than him all of a sudden, and he wondered why. "Yes, I believe so…. Why?"

The twins didn't respond as they both whispered to each another in a language Jin did not recognize, and then Nick spoke up. "Do you know what part of Korea he is from? And do you know wh-"

"I don't think that's any of your fucking business," came Hwoarang's voice from behind Jin. He glared at the twins, an angry look on his face.

"Hwoarang?" Jin said, surprised to see the Blood Talon there. "What are you doing here?"

But before Hwoarang could answer, Corey spoke up. "So, you are the Korean Blood

Talon? Do you think you can answer some questions?" he said with a smirk.

Hwoarang shot them a death glare, his eyes narrowing. "Mind your own fucking business. You have enough information, thanks to Kazama here," he said and took a hold of Jin's arm hard, pulling the Japanese away from the twins. "Let's go, Kazama." His voice was full of anger.

The twins watched with interest, standing side by side, with smirks on their faces. Little did any of them know that yellow eyes were watching them from the school trees, peering down from the shadows. The watcher was not making any movement or sound.

Hwoarang was even more pissed at Jin as he dragged him to his motorcycle and then pushed him against the school fence before Jin could ask again why he was there. "Asshole! What gives you the fucking right to answer questions about me?"

Jin's eyes widened as he stared at Hwoarang, and he sighed heavily, pushing Hwoarang's hand away from his shoulder. "I am sorry. It was only questions most already know of," he said calmly as he moved away from Hwoarang, a bit uneasy.

"Fuck you, Jin! It doesn't matter. You have no right to answer questions about me. Damn," the Korean said in anger, pulling out a cigarette in frustration.

Jin sighed softly and rubbed the back of his head lightly. "Sorry," he said again and watched as Hwoaranglit up the cigarette and took a puff.

Hwoarang waved a hand. "Whatever, come on," he said, getting on his bike and starting the engine. Jin just stared at the Blood Talon, not sure what he meant. "Come on, Kazama, get on."

Jin nodded and, feeling a bit awkward, climbed on the back of Hwoarang's bike, holding onto his waist lightly. "Where are we going?"

A small chill went up Hwoarang's back as he felt Jin's hands to his waist, and he kicked his bike off the curb and started to drive off. "To my master's. He needs a word with us," he said, taking a large U-turn in the middle of the street, turning the bike around, feeling Jin's grip tighten at the sudden speed. "You must be in trouble because I haven't done anything wrong."

"Heh, despite the bar fights," Jin said calmly, closing his eyes from the heavy wind. Hwoarang knew how to ride a motorcycle fast and dangerously. Jin didn't know whether to hold on to his dear life or to jump off while he could.

"Yea, Kazama, hold on tight because I'm about to make a sharp turn, then we're going downhill from there," Hwoarang said with a nasty smirk on his face. He was taking the route just to get back at Jin for the school incident.

Jin knew what Hwoarang was doing, and knew well. He closed his eyes tighter, and just as the Blood Talon had promised, they went onto a tight turn, the bike nearly tipping over, as Hwoarang took a hard turn to the right and then went straight until they started down a large hill. "Holy shit!" Jin found himself yelling, as the bike went speeding down the hill. Jin opened his eyes to see cars heading in their direction. Hwoarang barely dodged them. They were going down a one-way street. The Korean was trying to murder him. "Hwoarang!"

"What's wrong, Jin? Scared?" he heard Hwoarang ask as he drove faster down the hill before making it to the end and taking a sharp turn to the left.

Soon the Blood Talon came to a quick stop in front of a small Korean temple and parked his bike at the curve near the driveway. It was then that Jin realized his face was in the Blood Talon's warm back and he quickly let go. "You… are nuts," Jin said, getting off the bike and grabbing his books.

Hwoarang smirked and got off turning the key and placing it back onto the chain on his neck. "Yep, and you're an asshole," Hwoarang said with a smirk and led the way through the temple gates and onto the front porch. He gently used his left hand to knock on the door.

Baek answered the door before Hwoarang had even finished knocking. He smiled at the two boys and led them into the house. "Good afternoon, you two. Jin, are you all right? You look pale," Baek asked with worry as he shut the door behind them. Hwoarang led the way into the living room.

"He'll be fine. He rode on my 'bitch' seat," Hwoarang said with a chuckle as he spotted Lei sitting on the couch in the living room. "PIG!" he said with a smile, sitting across from him on the love seat. "How you doing, Officer Pig?"

Lei sighed heavily and shook his head. "Nice to see you too, Hwoarang."

"Hello, Officer Lei," Jin said, entering the room and bowing politely to the older man before sitting next to Hwoarang on the love seat.

"Hello to you too, Jin. How are things? Grandfather still giving you trouble?" Lei asked kindly.

"No. He hasn't tried anything since after the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4," Jin said calmly.

"That's unusual…," the officer said as he watched Baek walk into the room and sit in his recliner.

"It is. Gives us another question," Baek said with a heavy sigh. He then turned to Hwoarang and Jin, giving them both a serious look. "I'm going to go right to the point, boys. I called you here for important matters."

"All right, we're listening," Hwoarang said, sitting back on the couch, crossing a leg over the other as he watched his master with narrowed eyes.

Baek nodded and took out a picture from his breast pocket and handed it to Jin. "Do you know this woman?"

Jin took the picture into his hand and took a look at it. Hwoarang leaned over his shoulder to look, too. It was a picture of a girl wearing a long brown cloak over her body and covering her head and face. The only things seen from her were her black leather boots and a sword in her left hand. Everything about her looked small but dangerous in a way, an image emphasized by her narrowed eyes. Jin could just make out that they were green or yellow; it was hard to tell. Brown locks of hair could be seen sticking from under thehood, and her figure barely showed through the long cloak. "No. I do not," Jin said softly, handing the picture to Hwoarang, so he could get a better look.

"Kazuya said you wouldn't," Baek said, taking the picture back from Hwoarang.

"My father?" Jin asked with a puzzled expression.

Baek nodded and placed the picture back into his breast pocket. "Yes. That girl in the picture is his partner's younger sister. She has gone missing and is known to be here in Japan somewhere. He didn't give a name, only said she might be using a different name if you were to recognize her."

Hwoarang raised a brow and shook his head. "No…. Why are they looking for her? She run away or something?"

"YES!" Lei said suddenly. "Said she was not herself and dangerous. Stole the sword off her father!"

Baek nodded. "That she was out for revenge of an old male lover with a red hair," Baek said, eyeing Hwoarang.

"Hey, it's not me. The only time I loved a woman was during hot sex. By what I remember, I never dated a girl seriously in my life," he said with a sigh and shook his head.

Jin listened to Hwoarang's words. He has never dated a girl seriously…? Why? he wondered. It only made Hwoarang more couldn't help but wonder if the Korean was afraid of relationships or if he had been shot down and had never gotten over it.

"I'm not saying it was you, Hwoarang," came Baek's voice. "Winder, Kazuya's partner, had said she was after an unknown man with a red hair like fire. He did not say a nickname or where he was from, just that she was after him. He also informed us that she has a mysterious power, much like the Devil Gene…," he said, looking over at Jin. "And for some reason. Winder insisted she knew you… Hwoarang. I don't know why."

"The Devil Gene?" Jin questioned and stared at Hwoarang and then went into deep thought.

"Me? He said that?" Hwoarang asked with anger in his voice.

"Not entirely, no…. Just led to it…. How did he phrase it, Lei?" Baek asked, turning to his partner.

"'That Korean kid. I know she is friends with him,'" Lei quoted and pushed back his ponytail from his shoulder.

"That's right. He didn't say anything of it, but the way he spoke, it was leading in to saying you were in danger. I'm not entirely sure… but that's what it sounded like to me." Baek shook his head. "That's also beside the point. Hwoarang, we need you to make a truce with Jin."

Hwoarang's eyes widened. "What? Why?" he asked in protest.

"Because if this woman is as dangerous as Kazuya and Winder say she is… you two will have to work together and be friends. I don't just mean for the tournament," Baek said seriously. "So, Hwoarang, for now, forget about the rivalry and be Jin's friend?" Baek said with a smile.

Hwoarang rolled his eyes. "Why does everyone assume I'm not Kazama's friend?" he asked as he stood up and placed a fist to his waist.

All three guys stared at the young Korean with raised brows and questioning looks. "We're friends?" Jin said. The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Hwoarang turned to Jin with narrowed eyes. He hated to have to say what he was about to admit. "Kazama…. Yes, all right. I see you as a friend. Have since you helped my ass at the end of the last tournament."

"Then why all the rude remarks and always wanting to fight?" Jin asked, a confused look on his face.

Hwoarang turned his head away from Jin and shook it slowly. "Look, it's the rivalry…. It's…. We've been friends…. Shut up, Kazama! Stop asking questions!" Hwoarang said, not knowing how to explain the way he saw Jin as a friend. The Blood Talon didn't know how to explain it to himself, really. All he knew was that he saw Jin as a friend but also as a rival, and that was all. He didn't even know why he lashed out at him half the time. He only thought it was how he showed his friendship toward the Japanese.

Baek chuckled softly to himself as he noticed the angry look on the younger Korean's face and watched as Jin stood up, a puzzled look on his face but smiling, nonetheless.

After half an hour of talking with Baek and Lei, Jin and Hwoarang left, walking back to Hwoarang's bike. The Blood Talon sighed softly as he took the key off his neck and turned to face Jin. "Look… back there. I meant what I said, all right? We're friends," he said and got onto his bike and waited for Jin to get on after him.

Jin smiled at Hwoarang's words. He knew it was hard for the Korean to admit what he just had, but he also knew it was true. He slowly tied his books back onto the handle of Hwoarang's bike and got on, his hands going gently onto Hwoarang's waist. "Let's go. I'm hungry," he said calmly, and Hwoarang drove off, more slowly this time, but still pretty fast.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Hwoarang start to get closer. More things unfold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So again there is another OC of mine in this. It's funny because this OC has changed so much from what he originally was in this fic. He is one of my faves and I started to use him in how own story even. The difference from what he was, is amazing. How much 11 years has changed. 
> 
> Also, this chapter still has some elements of the story's original idea. I was originally going with a more demonic and dark theme when I first wrote it on Notebook paper. Though I can see where I started to change it as well. I am still happy with the end results but there are some things I forgot about that I may have to address later. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not make any profit off these fics, nor do I own any of the characters other than a few OCs.

Chapter 9:

  
_Hwoarang's Beautiful, and Jin's High_

__

Hwoarang drove them both to a Chinese restaurant for some grub. After Jin had said he was Hungry, Hwoarang had noticed he was, too. Jin didn't mind one bit, but he knew he and Hwoarang had missed their morning training. He didn't mind it much, and it didn't seem that Hwoarang minded it, either, as he was looking over the menu.

"This place has good food. I just don't know what to have," Hwoarang said as he stared hard at the menu.

Jin watched Hwoarang for a moment before putting down his menu and taking a sip of his water. "It is good here," he said, his eyes scanning the place.

"Yeah…. Where's the waiter?" Hwoarang asked, not really paying much attention to Jin, but wanting some food. "Hey! We want some service here!" he called out to the waiter, who was serving drinks to other customers. "You lazy ass…," he said with a smirk.

Jin sighed heavily and shook his head. The Blood Talon knows how to be rude, Jin thought as he watched the waiter move to their table.

"Yes, may I help you?" he said in Japanese, looking at Hwoarang.

"Did he call me a name?" Hwoarang asked Jin and then turned back to the waiter. "If you called me some sort of name, I'll kick your ass."

"Hwoarang… what are you having?" Jin asked calmly and smiled politely at the waiter.

"Oh, tell him a number five…. With extra mushrooms," Hwoarang answered, sitting back in his seat. "With a root beer."

Jin nodded and spoke to the waiter in Japanese and nodded again with a smile. Then, he turned to Hwoarang. "You've been living in Japan for a year and have been here several times and don't understand the language?"

"Baek started to teach me…. I know a little, but I feel more comfortable with my native language, or English."

Jin nodded as he listened to Hwoarang and smiled. "Korean is a hard language to learn…."

Hwoarang chuckled and stared at Jin. "So is Japanese. Do you know any other language besides English?" he asked and leaned back into his chair.

Jin shook his head and chuckled softly. "No. A little Chinese, but that is all."

Hwoarang stared at Jin and crunched the cigarette he had been smoking into the ashtray and leaned back into his chair. He didn't say anything after that; he just sat there with a blank expression on his face, and Jin couldn't read him. Then, Hwoarang's eyes suddenly brightened.

"Hw-" Jin started, but he was cut off by Hwoarang's big mouth.

"'Bout damn time!" Hwoarang said, grabbing his plate from the waiter. "You lazy ass!" he added with a smirk.

Jin sighed heavily and bowed politely and apologized in Japanese to the waiter before taking his own plate. "You are rude," Jin said heavily as he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

Hwoarang heard Jin's words, but he simply ignored them as he was too busy enjoying his food. Usually, he had a comment ready to get back at Jin, but he decided not to say anything for once.

After the two guys finished their lunch and paid for their half of the dinner, they walked out of the Chinese restaurant and stood beside Hwoarang's bike. "You have to get back to school, right?" Hwoarang asked as he took a cigarette out of his nearly empty pack.

"Yes, but I wont need a ride; it's only a block down the street…," Jin said, not really wanting another death ride from the Blood Talon.

"Chicken," Hwoarang said with a smirk and started to untie Jin's books off his bike. "Well, shoot yourself, J-"

"Jin! Hey, Jin!" came Xiaoyu's voice from across the street, causing both guys to turn around to see the young Chinese girl come running over. Hwoarang sighed with annoyance as he saw the girl come over and he turned to Jin.

"Hello, Xiaoyu-san. How are you?" Jin said with a friendly smile.

She giggled and gave Jin a quick hug before speaking. "I'm fine, Jin! How are you? I haven't seen you in ages! What have you been up to?"

"I'm well," Jin said as he hugged the Chinese girl back lightly before stepping back away from her. "I've been training; getting ready for the tournament."

"Ooh, that's right!" Xiaoyu giggled. "I'm doing well, but Jin, we should hang out sometime. We haven't had much time to talk at all since the last tournament and since you disappeared on me. What do you say? Want to hang out sometime? Please, Jin," she said as she took hold of Jin's arm.

Hwoarang's eyes narrowed as he watched Ling hug Jin. Anger boiled up inside of him with a bit of jealousy. His fingers curled into a tight fist, and the cut on his right hand began to bleed through the bandage and leek out, sliding down his fingers. Why am I getting this way? he asked himself and threw Jin's books at him. "They're your books, Kazama. Don't want to be late for school."

Jin's eyes widened as the books went at him; he barely caught them. He stared at Hwoarang with a questioning look, wondering why he seemed so angry all of a sudden, but then he remembered about the fight the night before. Hwoarang had said that Xiaoyu had caused trouble for him at a bar.

"Oh, Hwoarang. I didn't see you there!" Ling said with a smile, turning to the redhead and letting go of Jin. "I'm sorry about last night. I didn't think a fight would start. But you know, if you don't want anyone to know that your b-" she began to say, only for Hwoarang to grab a hold of her and put his bloody hand to her mouth.

"Shut up," he said in anger and then slowly withdrew his hand.

"Ah! Hwoarang. That was gross! You're freaking bleeding? What, did you get into another fight?" she asked, wiping away her mouth. "But as I was saying…. If you don't want anyone to know you like guys, you shouldn't be smoo- OW!" she yelled as Hwoarang kicked her in the knee.

"Mind your own fucking business!" Hwoarang said as he got ready to hit Xiaoyu once again.

Jin watched the scene between Hwoarang and Ling, not believing his ears. Hwoarang… likes guys? He is bisexual? Jin thought, looking straight at Hwoarang. As the Blood Talon caught him, he forced his eyes away to Xiaoyu. "What?"

"You didn't have to kick me, Hwoarang! What is the matter with you? I already know your secret; it was obvious last night. You were all over that guy!"

"I SAID, MIND YOUR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS! Tell the damn world, why don't you," Hwoarang said in anger and started to pace back and forth to keep himself form hitting Xiaoyu to where he would really hurt her.

Xiaoyu's eyes widened as she watched Hwoarang. She stared over at Jin, who looked just as startled. She then realized that Hwoarang didn't want Jin to know about his secret, and she had just spilled the beans. "I'm sorry, Hwoarang. I thought Jin…. I mean, being your partner and all-" she started, feeling very guilty.

"I said, shut the fuck up, you stupid bitch." He jumped onto his bike. "Have a nice fucking day!" he drove off, leaving a puzzled Jin and an upset Xiaoyu behind.

Xiaoyu quickly turned to Jin with a heavy sigh. "Oh, Jin. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make him angry. I thought you knew…."

"No. I don't know much at all about Hwoarang. But don't worry; I'll have a word with him," he and gave the Chinese girl a smile. "I'm sure he's all right. Maybe it's all just a misunderstanding," he said, looking in the direction Hwoarang had gone and sighed. "Come, I'll walk you to school…."

Later that day, Jin got home a little later than normal. He had gone with Ling to the library to study and, somehow, she had gotten him to buy her ice cream afterward. Jin slowly walked into the temple, hanging his jacket on the coat rack and dropping his books onto the table.

"Hey, Jin. You're home a bit late," came Lee's voice from the hallway entrance.

Jin turned and smiled at his uncle and nodded. "Yes, I needed some books from the library and went for ice cream with Xiaoyu-san," he said and sat on the couch.

Lee smiled and walked on into the room, sitting across from Jin on the recliner. "Oh, really? Sounds like a date," he said with a smirk.

Jin's eyes widened and a blush came to his cheeks. "No. It wasn't like that," he said quickly.

"What happened? Jin here went on a date?" asked Steve as he walked into the room with a smile on his face.

"Yea, with Ling Xiaoyu," Lee said, returning the smirk, as he stared at Jin.

"Oh, she's a cutie, Jin. Going to have another?" Steve asked, sitting on the other end of the couch.

"Another what?" Hwoarang said as he came into the room, sitting between Jin and Steve, avoiding Jin's eyes.

"Jin went on a date with Ling-san," Lee said, grinning ear to ear.

"What?" Hwoarang said, turning to face Jin with his eyes narrowed and face full of anger.

"It wasn't a date….," Jin said, looking toward Hwoarang. Their eyes met for a moment before Hwoarang looked away. "It was two friends hanging out."

"Yea and that friend was a girl," said Lee, eyeing him.

Hwoarang glared in Lee's direction. "So," he said a hint of anger in his voice.

Lee stared at Hwoarangand blinked. "Well, I always assumed Jin and Xiaoyu-san would get together. She might be good for him."

Hwoarang continued to glare. "Really?" he asked and then sighed and closed his eyes, a smirk forming onto his lips.

Steve stared at Hwoarang for a moment, frowning, and then he noticed the cut on his hand; the cut was still bleeding. "Hwoarang, I thought you wrapped that up," he said with concern.

Hwoarang ignored him. His gaze was still on Lee, and anger still showed on his face.

Lee stared back and sat back onto the chair. "Well, she's kind, polite, and she's a good person," Lee answered truthfully. "Why do you care?"

"I don't," Hwoarang said, standing to his feet. "I was just wondering why," he said simply and turned to Steve. "My hand is fine." He left and headed up the stairs to his room without another word.

Jin, Lee, and Steve watched as the Blood Talon disappeared up the stairs, and then all turned back the normal way. Jin closed his eyes softly, remembering that the Korean was angry with Xiaoyu.

Later that day, Hwoarang refused to train with Jin, saying he had other plans. Jin found it odd, considering Hwoarang never left the temple the whole night. Then, when it was around dinner time, Jin found a big surprise in the kitchen. Hwoarang, along with the cook, Lucile, was making dinner. And it wasn't Lucile who was doing the hard work, but it was Hwoarang himself.

"What is going on?" he asked Lee as he sat down at the table.

Lee was sitting calmly with his eyes closed and hands behind his head. "Hwoarang is cooking," he said with a grin.

"That's the scary part…," Steve said with a heavy sigh as he sat down next to Lee.

Jin stared at the two fighters as he sat down, wondering why Hwoarang had decided to cook all of a sudden. His attention then went to the kitchen, as he heard Hwoarang speaking to Lucile.

"Lucile, my dear, you are beautiful no matter how you look," he said with a smirk as he came out of the kitchen and into the dining area, carrying a bowl in his hand and setting it onto the table. Lucile came in after him, carrying two more bowls, a blush on her face.

"Oh, master Hwoarang, you flatter me," she said with a giggle and followed Hwoarang back into the kitchen.

"You're a lady who deserves to be flattered!" came Hwoarang's voice from the kitchen.

Jin sighed heavily as he stared at the three bowls on the table. Each contained some kind of Korean food. Jin wasn't interested in the food, though; his thoughts were more on Hwoarang and Lucile. Why do I feel… so… angry all of a sudden? he asked himself and then watched as Hwoarang came out with a few more dishes, and Lucile, with a bottle of wine.

"Well, gentlemen, I must be off now. I will zee you all in za morning," Lucile said speaking with a French accent and left the room. "Oh, and it waz fun cooking with you, Hwoarang," she called out with a giggle.

Hwoarang smirked and placed both hands to his hips as he smiled at the French cook. "Same here, Lucile. See you tomorrow."

"Hwoarang, I must say you have it with the ladies," Lee said with a chuckle and sat up straight.

"Damn straight," he said with a grin and stared at Steve. "I'm so good, I bet I can get a guy to fall for me, too."

"The guy would have to be pretty stupid, then," Steve said, eyeing Hwoarang, and returned the smirk.

Hwoarang laughed and sat down at the table. "Well, Steve… you are blond."

Jin stared up at Hwoarang to Steve, a confused look to his face. _Are they together? Or were they once together before? Is Hwoarang really bisexual, then? **Or is this… all an act?**_ the voice inside Jin's head demanded, and Jin closed his eyes tightly. "Eae…," he spoke in Japanese. The three stared at Jin with puzzled looks.

"You better have not called me what I think you just called me, Kazama. I'll kick your ass," Hwoarang said, standing up, believing Jin had called him a fag.

"No… sorry…. I was thinking out loud." Jin stared back at Hwoarang.

"So you were thinking of calling me a name, then? I knew-"

"He said no," Lee said over from the other end of the table. He had his eyes closed and a stern look on his face.

"Kazama, no what?" Hwoarang said, sitting back down, looking right at Jin, but not meeting his eyes.

"Uh." Jin looked away from the Blood Talon and to the bowls in front of him. "I've never seen this food before…," he said, changing the subject.

Hwoarang smiled and stared at the bowls as well. "It's Korean. Zabu noodles… spicy red sauce, fried chicken and spicy vegetables and mushrooms. Enjoy," he said and started to fill his plate.

Everyone sat and ate their meals quietly. Hwoarang watched everyone as he enjoyed his own food, finishing it off with a glass of wine. "Hwoarang, I must say… I'm a good cook," he said to himself, rubbing his gut, a satisfied look on his face.

Steve laughed at the Blood Talon as he, too, was finished with his plate. "I must say it was good," he smiled.

"Yea…. See, I'm living proof that it's easy to cook," Hwoarang said with a smirk, closing his eyes as he relaxed.

"Yes, well, don't let it go over your head. It was good but too damn spicy," Lee joked as he took a small sip of wine.

"You're just jealous, Lee," said Hwoarang with a sigh and stared at his empty plate. They liked it…. But I still haven't heard from Jin yet…, he thought. His eyes shifted over to the Japanese fighter, as he waited for him to say something.

"It was good," Jin finally said after he finished the last bite of his won meal. A smile formed onto his face. "Where did you learn to cook like this?"

Hwoarang smiled and lifted his head up, thinking back to when he first started to cook. "M-my mother started to teach me… but only cakes and stuff. She said I was still too young to cook big things. Blah blah! But after she disappeared, and I was mostly on my own…. Well, the rest is a long story; not one I bother to tell," he said, a frown forming onto his face.

Jin stared at Hwoarang for a moment and nodded. He understood that it had to be something personal in the Blood Talon's life.

It was well past two in the morning, and Hwoarang sat on his balcony, a guitar resting in his lap. He brushed his bandaged hand over the string once before taking out the pick and doing a few notes, making sure the tuning was right. His eyes wandered to the initials that were carved into the neck of the guitar: J.M. Hwoarang closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall with a heavy sigh. "Damn…," he said softly, opening his eyes to the sound of a door opening. Slowly, he shifted his eyes toward Jin's side of the balcony, just in time to see the Japanese come out.

"Can't sleep?" Hwoarang asked in a gentle voice as he watched Jin move over to the balcony edge and stare out into the sky.

Jin's eyes widened as he heard the Blood Talon speak. Jumping slightly to the soft voice, he turned his head to see the Korean sitting with his guitar resting on his lap. "No," he answered and stared back to the sky.

"Yeah…. I know the feeling," Hwoarang said as he brushed the guitar pick across the strings a few times before setting the guitar down. He couldn't concentrate with Jin standing only a few feet away. He didn't know what it was about Jin that made his mind go crazy, but hewas like a thorn in his finger, prickling at him each time he saw the guy or talked to him. He was either angry at him or fine with him. Then there were times when he just wanted him.

He sighed heavily and watched Jin for a moment. He watched as the Japanese stared at the starry sky, and he couldn't help but stare, too. The moon was almost full. There was silence for a long time between the two fighters, but it was a peaceful silence and not awkward in any way. Then, as Hwoarang noticed a face shining in the moon, his eyes widened, and he quickly looked away and stood up.

His bare feet moved slowly on the cold floor as he walked toward the small wall that separated the two balconies and leaned his back against it. "So…," he started to say as he lit a cigarette, "nice night."

Jin's eyes widened as he heard Hwoarang's voice so close to him. He turned his head to see a mane of red hair. He hadn't even noticed Hwoarang standing next to the wall that separated them. He smiled and stared back to the sky. "Yes, it is."

Hwoarang smoked his cigarette quietly before speaking again and turning to Jin. He placed the lit smoke into the ashtray. "So… today was a fun day, huh?"

Jin slowly turned to Hwoarang and nodded. He was a bit shocked at the sudden subject, but it was obvious to them both that there were questions. "Hwoarang-"

"Yes, I am," Hwoarang cut in, avoiding Jin's eyes.

"You are what?" Jin asked. He had a feeling he knew what Hwoarang admitting, but he wanted to make sure.

Hwoarang closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. If there was one thing the Blood Talon hated doing, it was uncovering any of his secrets, especially to Jin. "I'm Santa Claus." He stared at Jin, who still looked confused. Hwoarang then rolled his eyes at the Japanese. "Fuck you, Kazama. You know what I mean. Go ahead and say what you want to say now, but if you say anything I dislike, I'll have to kick your ass and drop out of the tournament."

Jin's eyes widened at Hwoarang's harsh words, and he couldn't help feeling slightly hurt by them. _What does he think I'll say?_ he asked himself, but when he noticed the anger and hurt in Hwoarang's eyes, he smiled. "We are friends and who you are is who you are. It won't change anything."

Hwoarang's eyes widened at Jin's words, and he looked away from him for a moment before a smirk formed onto his lips. "You don't care, then?"

"No."

"Don't tell anyone…. Err, Steve knows."

"All right."

Hwoarang smiled and let them both go silent for a while before speaking again. "So… why can't you sleep?" he asked, turning to face Jin, picking up his forgotten cigarette.

"Too many thoughts," Jin answered truthfully as he eyed the Blood Talon. "Mostly about what your master told us this morning…."

Hwoarang nodded and crushed the rest of his cigarette before looking to his bandaged hand. It was time for a new bandage, but he would ignore that for now. "Yea. I was thinking about that, too. Weird, huh…? Your father's partner, that Windy guy, or whatever his name is? For some reason, I want to kick his ass."

Jin nodded. "Yes, but my question is: how does he know that girl knows you when you say he doesn't?"

"Shit, Jin. I have no clue. I think they're both fucked up in the head," Hwoarang said with a snicker and pushed back some of the red locks of hair. "I think we should tell Lee and Steve about it tomorrow."

"I agree," Jin said, and his eyes lingered on Hwoarang's bloody bandage."Your hand is still bleeding?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I keep messing with it." Hwoarang said truthfully as he looked at his bloody, bandaged hand. "It'll be all right."

"You shouldn't keep it like that. It's covered, but it could still get infected," Jin said and returned to his room without another word.

Hwoarang watched Kazama with a puzzled look, as he disappeared into his room. He sighed heavily, turning back to the sky. His eyes focused on the stars. His attention was then taken away by the soft grab of his right hand. He moved to see Jin unwrap the bloody bandage and throw it to the side. Shivers went up Hwoarang's back, as he felt Jin's warm touch. This time, Hwoarang didn't fight back when Jin started to dab ointment over the deep cuts on his knuckles. "You don't give up, huh, Kazama?" Hwoarang said, as Jin began to wrap his hand.

"No," Jin simply said and then let go of Hwoarang's hand and took a step back. "Sorry, but like you, and I want to win this tournament," Jin said, a small smirk coming onto his face.

Hwoarang laughed. "Jin, I think I'm rubbing off on you."

Jin chuckled and nodded before turning back around to stargaze once more. Hwoarang watched him and sighed. Something else was on Jin's mind besides the talk they had had earlier, and Hwoarang wanted to know what it was. Picking up his guitar, he turned to Jin. "Be right back," he said and went to his room.

When Hwoarang came back, he was smirking and holding something in his hand. He walked to the wall and climbed over and sat in one of Jin's chairs. "Talk to me," was all that he said as he took out a small bag of weed and white roll-up paper.

Jin blinked a few times and sat down in the chair across from Hwoarang and watched him. "What are you doing?" he asked with curiosity.

"Rolling up a joint. Now talk to me…," he said as he sprinkled the grass onto the paper. "What is on your mind, Kazama?"

Jin stared at the floor and then leaned back into his chair. "My mother. I often think of her… and wonder what really happened to her when she died. I now believe that Heihachi was part of her death."

Hwoarang listened as he worked on the joint. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "How old were you?"

"I was 16 when she died. Sixteen when I moved here. I know I should be hiding from my grandfather instead of living at his temple…. But because of the tournament and my mother, I forced myself to move here, but only for this tournament. And I have to thank Lee for the help. The only reason he is here is because I asked him to," Jin said as he watched Hwoarang spark the small blunt with a flame and take in a drag before handing the joint over to him. "I don't smoke…."

"This ain't no ordinary cigarette, Jin. It'll make you feel better and sleep," Hwoarang said as he watched Jin hesitantly take the blunt into his hand, bring to his lips, and take a deep drag. Jin gagged as he felt the burning in the back of his throat.

"Take your time," Hwoarang said, taking the blunt back. "You'll get used to it. And I know it's strange that Heihachi isn't trying to take you and stuff, Jin, but you shouldn't let that bother you too much. There're three other fighters here, and we're all friends, so we have each other's backs. I know I do…," Hwoarang said as he passed the blunt back to Jin after taking his shot.

Jin lightly smiled at Hwoarang's words, knowing they were true. "I know… but my mother, if he was part of her death, then I want him dead," Jin said with a serious look as he took another hit, coughing harder this time. "Damn," he choked and handed the blunt to Hwoarang. His head suddenly started to feel fuzzy. "I don't think, I don't- I think- can't do that anymore."

"I know how you feel…," Hwoarang said, taking the blunt. His mind started to wander off into a distant past. He then watched as Jin coughed and he smiled, taking another hit. "Get over it, Kazama. Once we're finished here, you won't have to see my ugly ass anymore." A chuckle escaped his lips as Jin took the blunt.

After a few more puffs, the blunt was gone. Jin and Hwoarang sat there, staring at the sky again. Jin was feeling calmer and at ease and suddenly hungry. He then turned to Hwoarang, whose crimson brown hues were at the sky. Jin thought he had never seen anything more beautiful. "You… you're…. Hwoarang… you don't look ugly…," he said softly.

Hwoarang turned to face Jin, his grin turning into a smile. "And you're high off your rocker, Kazama. You won't be saying that tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah? Wait…. What does… does…? I wanted to ask, what does 'yeppoyo' mean?" Jin asked, swaying slightly in his seat.

Hwoarang blinked, wondering when Jin had heard that word before and smiled. "It means beautiful. Why?"

"Because… you said it before," Jin said softly, and Hwoarang's eyes widened.

"Jin… go to bed," he said and stood to his feet. "You're all high and need some sleep, man," he said with a laugh and helped the swaying Jin up to his feet.

"Okay. Night, Hwoarang," Jin said softly and walked towards his balcony door. As Hwoarang was climbing over to his side, he spoke, "Your eyes are beautiful. That's what I wanted to say."

Hwoarang laughed at his high partner, though he couldn't help feeling slightly overwhelmed by the compliment. _Damn, he's cute when he's high,_ Hwoarang thought to himself as he made it to his balcony door. He turned to Jin, who was still watching him, and he found himself blushing. "Jin! Go to bed," he said and went to his own room, shaking his head with a light laugh.


End file.
